•Iff 


By  Henty  A.Skute 

Jg}  aint  •  finished  •  in  ^ 

The  Real  Diary 
of  a  R  eal  Boy 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 
HI 


lilll 

00022229081 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive. 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://archive.org/details/sequilorthingswhOOshut 


"SEQUIN" 

Of  Things  Whitch  Aint 
Finished   in  the   First 


By 
HENRY   A.   SHUTE 


Published     by 

The    Everett    Press 

Boston,      Mass.,      Mcmiv 


Copyright,  1904,  by  Henry  A.  Shute. 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall. 


THIRD    EDITION. 


i4  s   e   a   F   I    L 


99 


OR     THINGS      WHITCH     AOT 
FINISHED       IN       THE       FIR8-f 


SEPT.  7,  186-  Gosh,  what  do  you  think, 
i  last  nite  father  and  mother  and  me  and 
Keene  and  Cele  and  aunt  Sarah  was  sit- 
ting at  supper  when  father,  he  sed  i  am  a  going  to 
read  your  diry  tonite.  Gosh  i  was  scart  for  i  hadent 
wrote  ennything  in  it  for  a  long  time,  so  after 
supper  i  went  over  to  mister  Watsons  and  asked 
him  if  he  dident  want  to  see  father  and  he  sed  he 
wood  and  i  went  home  and  told  father  mister  Wat- 
son wanted  him  to  come  over  jest  as  quick  as  he 
cood  and  father  went  over,  i  knew  father  woodent 
ever  think  of  it  agen.  father  and  mister  Watson 
Beanys  father  set  and  talked  about  what  they 
usted  to  do  and  father  sed  do  you  remember  Wats 
that  time  you  and  Bill  Yung  and  Brad  Purinton 
and  Jack  Fog  went  down  to,  and  then  he  saw  me 

1 


*'•    S       e       a       u       i       1    " 


and  Beany  lissening  and  he  sed,  you  boys  run 
away  and  he  giv  me  5  cents  and  me  and  Beany 
went  over  to  old  Si  Smiths  for  some  goozberies 
but  i  have  got  to  wright  that  old  diry  some  more 
whitch  is  pretty  tuf,  i  have  forgot  whether  it  was 
brite  and  fair  sence  i  wrote  my  last  diry  or  not, 
but  ennyway  it  is  brite  and  fair  today.  Lots  of 
things  have  hapened  sense  i  wrote  my  last  diry. 
Beanys  father  is  a  poliseman  now  and  Beany  feels 
prety  big.  Beany  hadent  better  say  mutch  to  me 
ennyway.  the  stewdcats  have  come  back  and  they 
has  been  lots  of  fites.  Scotty  Briggam  licked  2 
stewdcats  in  one  day.  one  day  me  and  Pewt  and 
Beany  was  standing  in  frunt  of  the  libary  and  2 
stewdcats  went  in  and  Pewt  threw  a  peace  of  dry 
mud  and  it  hit  the  stewdcat  rite  in  the  neck  and 
bust  and  went  down  his  coller  and  he  see  us  laffin 
and  he  walked  rite  out  to  where  we  was  standing 
and  he  sed  sorter  sisy  like  whitch  of  you  boys 
throwd  that,  and  Pewt  sed  jest  like  him,  if  you  are 
2 


i 
"    S        e        qui        I    »' 


so  smart  you  had  better  find  out,  and  he  grabed 
Pewt  and  throwd  him  rite  in  the  guter  and  roled 
him  round  in  the  mud  and  hit  him  3  good  bats  in 
the  ear.  me  and  Beany  run  and  Pewt  he  was  mad 
becaus  we  dident  pich  in  and  help  him,  but  lots 
of  times  me  and  Beany  has  got  licked  and  Pewt 
never  helped  us.  i  told  Father  about  it  and  he  sed 
he  was  glad  of  it  and  he  wished  the  stewdcats  had 
licked  me  and  Beany  two. 

Sept.  8,  186-  brite  and  fair,  the  band  played 
tonite  downtown,  we  all  went  down  but  mother 
and  aunt  Sarah  and  the  baby  and  Franky  and 
Georgie  and  Annie  who  was  all  two  little  except 
mother  and  aunt  Sarah  who  had  to  stop  and  take 
care  of  them,  the  band  played  splendid  and 
Fatty  Walker  jest  pounded  the  base  drum  as 
hard  as  he  cood.  most  of  the  fellers  run  round 
and  played  tag  and  hollered  but  i  set  still,  i  cant 
see  how  fellers  can  run  round  and  holler  when  a 
band  plays,    they  tried  to  pull  me  out  of  my  seet 

3 


"    S        e       q        n       i        1    " 

but  i  giv  Beany  a  good  punch,    when  we  came 

home  mother  asked  if  i  had  behaived  and  father 

sed  i  set  there  jest  like  a  old  potato,    he  sed  i 

» 

dident  know  much    ennytime  but  when    i   herd 

music  i  dident  know  ennything. 

Sept.  9,  186-  Will  Simpkins  is  coming  to  visit 
us.  he  is  my  cuzon  and  is  older  then  i  am  and 
every  time  he  comes  he  licks  me.  i  dont  dass  to 
tell  becaus  he  is  company,  so  this  time  i  am 
going  to  get  Gim  Erly  or  Tady  Finton  to  lick 
him.  he  is  coming  next  Saterday.  he  lives  in  a 
city  and  wears  a  neckti  every  day  and  feels  prety 
big  and  says  i  am  a  countryman. 

I  see  Gim  Erly  today  and  he  says  he  will  lick 
time  out  of  Will  for  a  nife  and  a  slingshot,  i  had 
lost  my  nife  so  i  told  Beany  and  he  sed  he  wood 
give  Gim  his  nife  if  he  wood  let  him  see  the  fite. 
Will  licked  Beany  last  summer  and  Beany  aint 
forgot  it.  then  i  dident  have  enny  slingshot  and 
so  i  told  Fatty  and  Fatty  he  sed  he  wood  give 
4 


"    S       e       a        u 


99 


Gim  his  slingshot  if  he  cood  see  the  fite.  it 
seemed  kinder  mean  not  to  tell  Pewt,  so  i  told 
Pewt  and  he  sed  he  would  give  me  his  fathers 
pigs  bladder  when  it  was  killed  if  i  wood  let  him 
see  the  fite,  that  makes  2  bladders  i  am  going  to 
have  this  fall.  Oliver  Lane  is  going  to  give  me 
his,  they  will  make  bully  footballs,  i  gess  i  can 
get  Potter  to  give  me  a  leest  flycatches  egg  if 
i  will  let  him  see  the  fite. 

Sept.  10.  Brite  and  fair.  Will  Simpkins  is 
coming  tomorrow,  i  bet  he  will  wish  he  hadent 
after  Gim  Erly  gives  him  that  licking.  Potter 
gave  me  a  red  wing  blackbirds  egg  and  a  chippys 
egg  and  2  blewjays  wings  to  see  the  fite. 

Sept.  11.  Brite  and  fair,  it  was  the  best  fite  i 
have  seen  since  Cris  Staples  licked  Charlie  Clark 
you  had  aught  to  have  seen  it.  Will  came  this 
morning  he  was  all  dressed  up  and  had  his  shoes 
blacked,  i  knew  that  wood  make  Gim  want  to 
lick  him.    i  felt  kinder  mean  when  he  came  be- 


"    S        e        a        u        i        1 


99 


caus  he  seamed  glad  to  see  me,  and  mother  sed  i 
hope  you  boys  will  have  a  real  nice  time  together, 
and  i  sed  i  gess  we  will,  so  after  dinner  i  asked 
him  to  go  over  to  Beanys  and  we  went  over  and 
Gim  was  there  and  Potter  and  Pewt  and  Fatty 
and  Billy  Swett  came  with  Fatty  and  he  wis- 
pered  he  wood  giv  me  a  whailbone  bow.  Gim 
sed  to  me  easy  have  you  got  them  things  and  i 
sed  yes  and  Gim  sed  no  fooling  and  i  sed  hope  to 
die  and  i  crosed  my  throte  and  i  sed  you  have  got 
to  lick  him  first  and  he  sed  he  wood  lick  him.  so 
we  went  over  in  the  high  school  yard  to  play 
prisners  bass,  well  prety  soon  Gim  sed  Will 
cheeted,  and  Will  said  he  dident,  and  Gim  sed  do 
you  mean  to  call  me  a  Her  and  Will  sed  he  dident 
cheet  and  Gim  sed  he  wood  giv  him  a  paist  on 
the  nose,  and  Will  sed  he  want  man  enuf  and 
Gim  scrached  a  line  in  the  dirt  and  told  Will  not 
to  dass  to  step  over  it  and  then  Will  put  a  chip 
on  his  sholeder  and  told  Gim  not  to  dass  to  nock 
6 


"Sean 


95 


it  off  and  Will  sed  if  he  hit  Gim  he  wood  nock 
him  so  far  he  woodent  ccme  down  at  all  and  Gim 
sed  if  he  hit  him  there  woodent  be  ennything 
left  of  him  but  a  red  neckti,  and  Will  told  Gim 
he  was  a  freckled  faced  mick  and  Gim  told  Will  he 
was  a  curly  haired  nigger  and  just  then  Fatty 
give  Will  a  push  rite  into  Gim  and  they  went  at 
it  and  Gim  licked  time  out  of  Will  and  got  him 
down  and  lammed  him  until  he  hollered  enuf. 
then  Will  he  went  home  balling  and  i  had  to  go 
two  and  when  we  got  home  mother  sed  it  was  a 
shame  and  she  wood  tell  father  when  he  got 
home,  when  father  got  home  mother  told  him 
and  sed  it  was  a  shame  that  Willy,  she  calls  him 
Willy,  i  am  glad  my  name  aint  Willy,  i  had 
rather  be  called  Skinny  or  Polelegs  or  Plupy  then 
Willy,  well  she  sed  it  was  a  shame  that  Willy 
coodent  play  with  me  without  having  that  dred- 
ful  Erly  boy  fiting  him  and  she  wanted  father  to 
go  up  to  Mr.  Tucks  where  Gim  lives  and  tell  him 

7 


"    S        e        q       u       i        1    ♦• 

about  it.  Well  father  sed  boys  always  fit  and  she 
mustent  wurry  about  it  he  gessed  Willy  wood  get 
over  it.  but  he  told  me  not  to  ask  Gim  Erly 
down  here  agen.  so  after  supper  when  i  had  to 
go  for  the  yeest  i  ran  up  to  Gims  and  giv  him 
the  nife  and  the  slingshot  and  told  him  not  to 
tell. 

Sept.  12.  Brite  and  fair.  Will  has  got  a  black 
eye  and  a  scrached  nose.  Nellie  has  got  well  and 
we  had  a  ride  today  after  church  and  i  let  Will 
drive,  in  the  afternoon  Beany  and  Pewt  came 
over  and  we  had  a  shooting  mach  with  the  whail- 
bone  bow  behind  the  barn,  i  told  Beany  and 
Pewt  not  to  tell  for  if  they  did  father  woodent  let 
us  go  together  agen.  Fatty  and  Potter  and  Billy 
Swett  wont  tell  ether. 

Sept.  13,  186-  Brite  and  fair,    today  we  had  a 

good  time,   mother  let  me  invite  Beany  and  Pewt 

and   Nipper   Brown  to   supper   for  company   for 

Will.    Pewt  coodent  come  becaus  he  shot  one  of 

8 


"    S        e        a       u 


99 


his  fathers  hens  with  his  arrow  rifle  jest  like  i 
shot  my  hen  whitch  was  eating  eggs  and  Mister 
Purinton  Pewts  father  woodent  let  him  come. 
i  gess  if  father  had  been  at  home  for  supper  i 
wood  have  got  a  licking  but  he  dident  get  home 
til  the  7  oh  clock  train,  well  we  had  been  raising 
time  up  in  my  room  and  when  we  went  down  to 
supper  i  pulled  a  chair  out  when  Nipper  went  to 
set  down  and  he  set  rite  down  on  the  floor  bang 
and  grabed  the  table  cloth  and  pulled  of  his  plate 
and  cup  and  sauser  and  Beanys  sauser  and  they 
came  rite  down  on  his  head  and  broak  to  smash. 
Nipper  was  scart  but  mother  picked  him  up  and 
said  he  needent  wurry  for  she  dident  care  for  the 
dishes  and  asked  him  if  he  was  hurt  and  said  it 
was  my  fait  and  she  told  me  i  had  aught  to  be 
ashamed  and  I  hadent  aught  to  have  company  if 
i  dident  know  how  to  treet  them,  she  dident 
send  me  to  bed  becaus  she  had  to  be  polite  to 
Beany  and  Nipper  and  so  i  was  all  rite,    after 

9 


"    S       e        q       n       i        1    " 

supper  we  played  domminoes  til  the  nine  oh  clock 
bell  rang  and  then  Beany  and  Nipper  went 
home. 

Sept.  14.  Brite  and  fair.  Will  went  home  to- 
day i  was  sorry  he  went,  we  had  a  good  time 
and  i  never  knew  him  to  be  such  a  good  feller  be- 
fore, i  gess  it  did  him  good  to  get  a  lickin. 
father  says  it  always  does  me  good  to  get  a  good 
lickin.  before  he  went  he  got  me  to  throw  a 
ball  easy  at  him  and  he  let  it  hit  him  in  the  eye 
so  he  cood  tell  his  folks  that  a  ball  hit  him  in  the 
eye,  so  he  wood  not  have  to  tell  a  lie  to  his 
father  about  his  black  eye.  a  feller  feels  a  good 
deal  better  when  he  doesent  have  to  lie  to  his 
folks,  when  i  usted  to  hook  in  swiming  i  usted 
to  stick  my  head  in  the  rane  water  barril  so  I 
cood  tell  father  how  i  wet  my  hair,  i  dident  like 
to  do  it  sometimes  becaus  the  barril  was  full  of 
little  wigglers  but  i  had  ruther  do  that  then  have 
to  tell  a  lie,  ennyway  i  gess  all  the  wigglers  that 
10 


"    S       e        q       u        i        1    " 

got  into  my  hair  died  becaus  they  never  bit  me. 
father  says  they  turn  into  musketers. 

Sept.  15,  186-  Brite  and  fair,  i  forgot  to  say 
that  i  giv  Will  the  whailbone  bow  that  Billy  Swett 
giv  me  to  see  the  fite.  he  was  glad  to  get  it  i  tell 
you,  and  he  sed  i  was  the  best  feller  he  knew,  i 
told  him  when  he  eame  here  agen  we  wood  have 
some  more  fun.  mother  gave  him  25  cents  and 
gave  me  ten  cents  for  being  so  good  to  him.  me 
and  Pewt  and  Beany  had  some  goozeberies  down 
to  old  Si  Smiths,  father  told  me  one  time  i  cood 
have  a  football,  so  i  asked  him  tonite  and  he  sed 
i  dident  desirve  ennything,  that  i  had  caused  him 
a  good  deal  of  truble,  ennyway  i  am  going  to  have 
2  bladders. 

Sept.  16.  Clowdy  but  no  rane.  Beany  and 
Ticky  Moses  got  fiting  at  resess  today,  we  was 
playing  2  old  cat  and  we  was  chewsing  sides,  and 
Beany  and  Ticky  was  chewsing  and  the  way  they 
did  it  was  this.     Beany  he  throwed  the  bat  at 

11 


"    S       e       a       u       i       1 


>> 


Ticky  and  Ticky  he  cought  it  about  half  way 
down,  and  then  Beany  he  put  his  hand  above 
Tickys  and  Ticky  he  put  his  above  Beanys,  and  so 
on  til  when  they  came  to  the  end  of  the  bat  the 
last  one  whitch  had  his  hand  on  has  the  first 
choice  and  no  fudging,  only  he  has  got  to  swing 
the  bat  around  nis  Head  3  times  and  throw  it  3 
times  as  far  as  he  can  gump.  well  Beany  he  had 
the  last  hand  on  the  bat  and  he  cood  jest  get 
hold  of  it  a  little  and  when  he  swung  it  round  his 
head  it  sliped  and  hit  Ticky  on  his  head,  and  he 
piched  into  Beany  and  jest  as  they  was  fiting 
good  the  bell  rang,  that  is  jest  the  way.  some- 
thing always  stops  the  good  fites.  i  bet  on  Beany. 
Sept.  17.  Brite  and  fair,  the  stewdcats  have 
got  back  long  ago — i  forgot  to  wright  that  in. 
they  are  some  new  fellers  not  enny  biger  then  i 
am.  Honey  Donovan  licked  one  of  them  easy  and 
made  him  ball  like  a  baby.  Chitter  Robinson  and 
a  stewdcat  named  Hall  had  a  fite  on  the  Plains  and 
12 


"    S        e        q        u        i        1    " 

neether  licked,  they  fit  until  they  was  tired  out, 
and  Darlinton  a  big  stewdcat  came  up  and  stoped 
them,  they  aint  much  fun  in  going  to  school  now. 
all  the  girls  go  to  school  in  the  libary  bilding 
and  they  is  nobody  but  fellers  in  the  grammer 
school,  i  tell  you  it  is  pretty  loansom.  we  fellers 
dont  care  mutch  if  they  miss  in  there  lessons. 

Sept.  18.  Brite  and  fair,  after  school  today 
me  and  Beany  and  Fatty  and  Nibby  and  Lees 
Moses  and  Whacker  went  home  by  the  libary 
building.,  when  the  girls  came  out  they  dident 
pay  enny  attension  to  us  becaus  the  high  school 
fellers  was  there,  perhaps  they  will  want  to  slide 
on  our  sleds  next  winter  and  then  i  gess  they  will 
find  out  something. 

Sept.  19,  186-  Brite  and  fair,  went  to  church 
in  the  morning  and  to  Sunday  school  in  the  after- 
noon, i  have  got  a  new  pair  of  britches,  old 
Missis  Stickny  made  them  out  of  a  old  pair  of 
fathers,    they  wasent  very  old  becaus  they  was 

13 


"    S        e        q        n        i        I 


** 


made  out  of  the  same  blew  coat  that  father  had 
when  he  was  going  to  make  his  speach  when  old 
Dirgin  put  me  out  of  the  town  hall,  father  sed 
he  wood  never  ware  them  britches  ennymore. 
they  was  too  tite,  and  his  new  boots  was  too  tite 
two,  and  so  he  giv  them  to  me,  only  i  cood  have 
the  britches  made  smaler  and  i  coodent  have  the 
boots  made  smaler  so  i  will  have  to  wate  a  long 
time  before  i  cood  ware  the  boots,  well  after 
Sunday  school  me  and  Bug  and  Cawcaw  and  Pile 
Wood  went  down  to  the  dam.  they  are  having 
the  dam  fixed  and  the  water  is  auful  low,  rite 
below  the  dam  they  was  some  big  pikerel  in  a 
place  where  they  coodent  get  out.  well  we  took 
off  our  shues  and  stockings  and  begun  to  wade  in 
after  them  and  they  wood  dart  round  lively  and 
we  got  pretty  well  spatered,  and  than  i  fell  rite 
down  and  got  wet  soping.  after  that  i  went  rite 
in  and  we  got  1 2  big  pikerel  and  we  had  3  apeace. 
so  i  went  home  and  i  was  afraid  i  wood  get  a  lick- 
14 


f    S        e        q       n       i        1    M 

ing  and  i  did  two,  for  when  i  came  in  father  said 
where  in  thunder  have  you  been  and  i  told  him 
and  said  here  are  some  good  pikerel  for  supper 
and  he  said  i  will  atend  to  you  sir,  and  he  took 
me  up  stairs  and  gave  me  a  whaling,  gosh  you  bet 
it  hurt,  well  then  he  told  me  to  go  to  bed  and 
said  i  coodent  have  my  supper,  and  when  i  took 
of  my  close  my  legs  were  all  blew  and  i  called 
mother  up  to  see  how  i  was  black  and  blew  and 
when  she  came  up  she  said  for  mersy  sakes,  the 
coler  has  all  come  out  of  your  pants  and  you  are 
all  chekered  blew,  so  i  tride  to  wash  it  of,  and  it 
woodent  come  of.  so  i  went  to  bed  and  i  felt 
auful  hungry  and  i  cood  hear  them  at  supper  and 
i  could  smell  beefstake  and  i  almost  wished  father 
was  ded,  and  when  it  was  almost  dark  mother 
come  up  with  a  tray  and  she  had  fride  one  of  the 
pikerel  and  had  some  tost  and  a  baked  potato  and 
i  set  up  and  had  a  buly  supper,  mother  wasent 
mad  a  bit  with  me  but  she  told  me  i  did  rong  but 

15 


"    S        e        q        u        i        1    " 

she  gessed  i  got  my  pay  for  it  and  i  gess  i  did. 
mother  is  jest  as  good  as  she  can  be. 

Sept.  20.  Brite  and  fair,  the  coler  hasent 
gone  of  my  legs  yet.  tonite  father  took  me  down 
to  Erl  and  Cuts  where  he  got  the  coat  that  my 
britches  was  made  out  of  and  told  Erl  about  it 
and  made  me  show  my  legs,  and  Erl  said  i  gess 
George,  the  cloth  hadent  been  spunged,  and 
father  said  i  dont  know  about  the  cloth,  but  he 
was  spunged  most  damly  when  he  got  them,  and 
mister  Erl  laffed  and  gave  father  a  pair  of  new 
britches,  and  we  went  home,  father  felt  pretty 
good  about  it,  it  dont  seam  rite,  i  got  a  lickin  and 
got  my  legs  all  blew  and  it  wont  come  of,  and 
father  got  a  new  pair  of  britches  for  nothing, 
enny  way  one  of  these  pickerel  waid  a  pound. 

Sept.   21.    tonite  i  went  over  to  Beanys.    Mister 

Watson  Beanys  father  was  leening  his  head  on 

his  hand  and  i  stumped  Beany  to  pull  his  elbo 

out.    and  we  nearly  dide  laffing  to  think  about  it 

16 


"    S        e        q        u        i        1    •• 

and  by  and  by  Beany  got  up  his  spunk  and  pulled 
his  elbo  out  and  his  head  came  rite  down  on  the 
table  and  he  jumped  up  and  grabed  Beany  and 
hit  him  some  good  bats  and  sent  him  to  bed  and 
told  me  to  go  home  and  never  come  over  there 
ennymore.  so  i  cant  go  with  Beany  ennymore. 
the  coler  hasent  gone  out  of  my  legs. 

Sept.  22.  Rany.  the  coler  has  begun  to  go  of 
my  legs. 

Sept.  23.  Rany  as  time,  we  got  some  soft 
sope  of  old  man  Currier  today  and  the  coler  is 
most  gone. 

Sept.   24.    It  is  all  gone  now. 

Sept.  25.  Lubbin  Smith  and  Geen  Titcum  got 
fiting  at  resess  today  and  the  bell  rung  before 
eether  had  licked,  i  bet  on  Lubbin.  i  went  down 
for  some  more  pikerel  today  but  the  river  is  two 
deep  now. 

Sept.  26.  i  went  to  church  today,  they  issent 
enny  fun  Sundays. 

17 


"    S       e       <|       n       i       I    " 

Sept.  27 j  186-  Brite  and  fair,  today  we  was 
playing  football  at  school  and  Whacker  got  rooted 
agenst  Colbaths  barn  and  hit  his  head  whack  and 
fell  down  jest  as  if  he  was  ded,  and  old  Francis 
came  running  out  and  grabed  him  up  and  put 
water  on  his  head  and  then  he  waked  up  and  was 
all  rite  but  he  had  a  headake. 

Sept.  28.  Rany  as  time,  father  has  sold  Nelly 
to  old  Si  Smith,  she  was  lame  in  her  hind  leg 
and  when  she  stands  in  the  stable  she  holds  her 
hind  leg  up  in  the  air  all  the  time,  and  when  she 
goes  out  she  limps  auful  but  after  she  goes  a  while 
she  aint  lame,  so  last  nite  father  hiched  her  up 
and  took  me  and  we  drove  over  to  Wire  Shaws  in 
Kensington  and  when  we  came  back  he  took  out 
the  whip  and  hit  her  under  the  belly  with  it  2 
times  and  you  aught  to  see  her  go.  when  we 
came  to  old  Si  Smiths  she  was  going  like  old 
Billy  Robinsons  troter.  then  father  turned  round 
and  drove  up  to  Sis  and  old  Si  and  Shep  Hodgden 
18 


"    S        e        q        u       i        1    " 

and  Gimmy  Biddle  and  Charles  Fifield  was  there 
and  father  said  this  will  make  jest  the  horse  you 
want  for  your  store  and  old  Si  said  she  aint  biger 
than  a  rat  and  father  said  i  gess  she  is  big  enuf 
to  carry  out  all  your  lodes  unless  you  put  down 
your  price,  and  then  they  all  laffed  at  Si,  and 
then  Si  said  she  was  a  puller  and  father  said  what 
do  you  want  Josiar  one  that  you  have  to  push, 
and  then  they  laffed  agen  and  when  father  called 
him  Josiar  i  know  Si  had  better  look  out  for  when 
father  calls  me  Henry  i  know  i  am  in  for  a  lik- 
ing, then  Si  said  she  is  lame  in  every  leg  and 
father  said  you  get  in  here  and  drive  her  and  if 
she  goes  a  lame  step  i  will  give  her  to  you,  and 
old  Si  said  to  Shep  and  Gimmy  you  get  in  and 
drive  her  and  they  got  in  and  drove  off  and  father 
said  he  wood  take  50  dolars  for  her  and  old  Si 
said  he  wood  give  35  dolars  for  her  and  they 
talked  and  talked  and  then  Shep  and  Gimmy 
came  back  and  said  she  went  all  rite  and  old  Si 

19 


"    S        e        q        m        i        1    •' 

said  he  wood  give  father  40  dolars  and  father  said 
she  was  worth  50  but  as  Si  was  a  nabor  he  wood 
like  to  acomodate  him.  well  old  Si  was  counting 
out  the  money  when  he  said  he  bet  she  was  a 
kicker  father  said  she  is  kind  as  a  kitten  and 
dont  bite  or  kick  dont  she  Harry  and  i  said  she 
cant  kick  becaus  she  always  holds  up  one  leg  in 
the  stall,  and  old  Si  said  whats  that  and  i  told 
him  how  she  coodent  kick  becaus  she  held  up 
one  leg,  and  then  Gimmy  and  Shep  and  Charlie 
Fifield  and  old  Mister  Page  all  laffed  and  hollered 
and  stamped  round  and  slaped  their  legs  and  said 
that  is  a  good  one,  and  old  Si  stoped  counting  his 
money  and  swore  aufully  and  father  looked  auful 
mad  for  a  minit  and  then  he  said  she  is  wirth 
every  cent  of  50  dolars  and  asked  Si  what  he 
wood  give  and  Si  said  1 5  dolars  and  they  talked 
and  talked  and  after  a  while  he  give  father  25 
dolars.  then  we  went  home  and  father  looked 
prety  mad.  i  dident  know  what  i  had  done  but 
20 


"   s 


** 


when  we  got  home  he  said  Harry  you  go  to  bed, 
so  i  went  up  about  scart  to  deth  but  by  and  by  i 
crep  to  the  stairs  and  lissened  and  he  was  telling 
about  it  to  mother  and  he  said  if  he  had  sence 
enuf  not  to  ask  me  about  it  he  cood  had  got  1 5 
dolars  more  out  of  old  Si  and  he  was  mad  enuf  to 
lick  me,  and  then  he  began  to  lafF  and  mother 
laffed  and  said  it  served  you  jest  rite  George  to 
try  and  cheet  a  old  man,  and  father  said  Nelly  was 
wirth  50  dolars  and  the  last  baril  of  flour  that  Si 
sold  him  was  older  then  Methooselas  gread  gran- 
father  and  he  wood  have  got  square  with  Si  if  it 
hadent  been  for  that  boy.  well  mother  said  you 
cant  whip  him  for  telling  the  truth  and  father 
said  thunder  no  i  aint  going  to  lick  him  but  i  was 
mad  enuf  to.  so  i  felt  prety  good  and  crep  back 
to  bed. 

Sept.  29.  Brite  and  fair.  At  school  today  Scotty 
Briggam  jumped  over  the  fence  today  to  get  the 
football  and  fell  on  his  arm  and  broke  it,  and 

21 


"    S       e       <i       n       i       1    " 


then  he  went  home  and  came  back  before  school 
was  out  with  some  shingles  tied  on  his  arm. 
Scotty  has  got  some  spunk,  but  i  gess  Tady  Fin- 
ton  can  lick  him  now.  Old  Francis  said  2  axidents 
in  2  days  was  too  mutch  and  we  mustent  play 
football  enny  more,  so  at  recess  we  go  behind 
the  school  house  and  have  fites.  Gim  Miller  and 
Ben  Rundlet  had  a  good  fite,  and  tomorrow  Plug 
Atherton  and  Diddly  Colket  are  going  to  have  a 
fite  it  is  most  as  much  fun  to  see  fites  as  to  play 
football. 

Sept.  30.  Brite  and  fair,  we  cant  have  enny 
more  fites.  at  recess  today  Plug  and  Diddly  had 
the  best  fite  i  ever  saw.  they  fit  all  recess  and 
none  of  us  heard  the  bell  and  Plug  had  Diddly 
down  and  we  were  all  hollering,  paist  him  Plug 
and  hit  him  Diddly  when  old  Francis  came  round 
the  corner  and  grabed  Plug  and  Diddly.  i  tell 
you  we  all  went  into  school  lively  and  old  Francis 
made  Plug  and  Diddly  stand  on  the  platform  all 
22 


"    S        e        q        u        i        1    " 

the  rest  of  the  day  with  their  arms  round  each 
others  necks  and  we  dident  have  enny  recess  in 
the  afternoon,  it  is  pretty  tuf.  we  cant  play  one 
old  cat  becaus  old  Polly  Smith  makes  a  fuss 
when  the  ball  goes  over  her  fence  and  we  cant 
play  football  becaus  Scotty  broke  his  arm  and 
Whack  got  stunted,  and  we  cant  fite  becaus  it  is 
rong  to  fite.  we  might  jest  as  well  be  girls  and 
roll  hoop. 

Sept.  31,  186-  father  has  got  a  new  pair  of 
hip  boots,    rany. 

Sept.  32.  No  i  ment  Oct  2.  yesterday  was 
Oct  1,  and  i  got  it  Sept.  31.  went  down  to  Henry 
Youngs  tonite  and  had  my  hair  cut.  he  put  some 
auful  nise  smeling  oil  on  and  when  i  got  home 
they  all  took  turns  in  smeling  of  my  head. 

Oct.  3.  i  went  to  Church.  Pile  Woods  sister 
played  the  organ  she  is  going  to  play  all  time 
now. 

Oct.   4.    brite  and  fair  today  and  yesterday,    it 

23 


"    8       e        q       n       i        1    " 

was  so  hot  today  that  me  and  Chick  Chickering 
went  in  swiming,  the  water  was  cold  as  time,  and 
we  jest  ducked  our  heads  and  come  out  lively. 

Oct.  5.  nothing  today,  brite  and  fair,  they 
hasent  been  enny  fites  at  school  for  the  longest 
while. 

Oct.  6.  Keene  and  Cele  has  got  some  new 
balmoral  skirts,    they  feel  prety  big. 

Oct.  7.  Charles  Talor  was  down  to  the  house 
tonite  and  kept  us  all  laffing  to  hear  him  tell 
stories  about  father  and  Gim  Melcher. 

Oct.  8.  brite  and  fair,  tomorrow  me  and  Beany 
are  going  to  wirk  for  Mister  Hirvey  making  ice 
creem.  he  is  going  to  give  us  some  and  some 
creem  cakes,  i  missed  in  school  today. 

Oct.  9.  Brite  and  fair,  i  gess  i  shant  forget 
today  very  soon,  this  afternoon  we  went  over  to 
Mister  Hirveys  and  we  wirked  a  long  time  ma- 
king ice  creem  by  turning  the  handles  of  the 
buckets  and  choping  up  the  ice.  after  we  got 
24 


"    S       e       4       u       i       1    " 

done  he  let  us  come  into  his  saloon  and  we  had 
to  big  glasses  of  pink  and  yellow  mixed  and  some 
creemcakes.  well  after  we  had  et  it  Beany  said 
less  put  some  pepersass  into  the  rest  of  the  creem- 
cakes. so  we  did  and  then  we  went  out  and 
peeked  through  the  window,  bimeby  a  man  came 
in  and  set  down  and  we  saw  Mister  Hirvey  bring 
in  some  icecreem  and  some  creemcakes.  well  we 
kept  peeking  and  the  feller  et  one  creemcake  and 
we  heard  him  say  to  Mister  Hirvey  that  they 
were  the  best  creem  cakes  he  ever  et  and  then  he 
took  another  and  took  a  hog  bite  out  of  it  and 
then  he  jumped  up  and  his  eyes  buged  out  and 
he  spit  it  out  and  begun  to  swear  and  drink  water 
and  stamp  round  and  Mister  Hirvey  said  what  is 
the  matter  and  the  man  spit  some  more  and 
swore  and  said  they  was  helfire  in  the  creemcake, 
and  Mister  Hirvey  looked  into  it  and  said  some 
pne  has  put  pepersass  into  it  and  i  bet  i  know 
who  did  it.     when  i  heard  him  say  that  i  ran 

25 


"    S       e        q        u        i        1    ♦• 

round  the  corner,  but  Beany  waited  too  long  and 
Mister  Hirvey  saw  him  peeking  in  the  window 
and  came  out  lively,  well  Beany  he  ran  down 
into  Toles  yard  as  tite  as  he  could  go  and  Mister 
Hirvey  came  hipering  after  him  with  his  white 
apron  on,  i  dident  know  he  cood  run  so  fast, 
bimeby  he  came  back  holding  Beany  by  the  ear. 
Beany  he  wood  try  to  hold  back  until  his  ear 
nearly  puled  of  and  then  he  wood  come  along, 
well  Mister  Hirvey  snaiked  him  rite  into  his 
saloon  and  said,  did  you  put  that  pepersass  into 
my  creemcakes,  and  Beany  he  said  he  dident,  and 
Mister  Hirvey  said  i  dont  want  enny  lying,  and 
said  that  Beany  and  the  long  leged  Shute  boy 
were  the  last  ones  in  the  place  and  that  one  of  us 
did  it.  and  Beany  he  said  he  dident  and  he  saw 
me  with  the  pepersass  bottel  in  my  hand  and 
Mister  Hirvey  he  said  now  you  have  got  to  eat 
that  creemcake  or  take  a  good  licking  and  he 
took  his  cane,  and  held  Beany  by  the  coller  and 

26 


**    S        e        q       u       i        I    " 

said  1  and  Beany  dident  eat  it,  and  then  he  said 
2  and  Beany  dident  eat  it  and  then  he  said  3  and 
he  hit  Beany  a  auful  whack  over  the  legs  and 
Beany  hollered  like  time  and  held  on  to  his  legs, 
and  then  Mister  Hirvey  he  said  1  again  and 
Beany  dident  eat  it  and  he  said  2  and  Beany 
dident  eat  it  and  jest  as  he  said  3  Beany  he 
grabed  it  and  took  a  bite  and  tride  to  swaller  it 
and  i  thought  i  shood  die  to  see  him,  he  spit  and 
clawed  at  his  mouth  and  he  howled  and  jumped 
up  and  down  and  then  he  ran  over  to  Charles 
Toles  pump  and  rensed  his  mouth  and  drank  out 
of  the  horse  troth  and  Mister  Hirvey  and  the 
man  like  to  dide  laffing.  i  waited  till  they  went 
in  and  then  i  went  over  to  see  Beany  and  when  i 
asked  him  how  he  liked  the  creemcake  he  said  i 
was  a  long  leged  puke,  this  was  one  of  the  times 
that  Beany  got  cought  and  i  dident. 

Oct.    10,  186-  Sunday  agen.    brite  and  fair  it 
never  ranes  Sunday,    father  went  to  church  today. 

27 


"    S        e        a        u       i        1 


** 


he  woodent  have  gone  if  Keene  and  Cele  hadent 
been  going  to  sing  a  duet,  i  dident  want  to  go 
becaus  i  was  afraid  they  wood  brake  down,  but 
father  he  said  i  had  got  to  go  and  so  i  went,  old 
mister  Blake  who  sets  rite  behind  us  droped  his 
hym  book  and  had  to  bend  way  over  to  pick  it 
up  when  he  set  up  he  hit  his  bald  head  a  feerful 
bump  agenst  the  book  rack,  i  nearly  laffed  out 
loud  and  had  to  hold  on  to  my  mouth. 

Oct.  11.  J.  Albert  Clark  is  teaching  Keene 
and  Cele  a  new  tune.  Keene  sings  the  treble  and 
Cele  sings  the  alto,  it  is  there  is  a  bank  where  on 
the  wild  time  grows,  at  supper  tonite  i  asked 
what  wild  time  was  and  aunt  Sarah  said  it  must 
be  what  father  and  Gim  Melcher  used  to  have, 
then  we  all  laffed  and  father  told  aunt  Sarah  she 
was  geting  so  funny  that  she  wood  have  to  wear 
a  kerb  bit  and  a  martingail.  ennyway  it  was  a 
good  one  on  father. 

Oct.  1 2.  the  wind  blows  feerful.  father  wants 
28 


"    S       e        q       n       i        I    " 

me  to  lern  to  sing  a  tune  with  Keene  and  Cele. 
i  dident  want  to  but  he  said  i  had  got  to,  so  we 
tried  it,  and  i  sung  it  rong  every  time,  i  sung  it 
jest  enuf  rong  to  make  you  feel  crepey  in  your 
back,  and  father  said  if  you  cant  sing  better  then 
that  you  had  better  shet  up.    so  i  shet  up. 

Oct.  13.  clowdy  but  no  rane.  Georgie  has 
lerned  a  new  tune,  it  is  i  wood  i  were  a  fary 
queen,  we  are  going  to  have  the  minister  to  sup- 
per and  father  is  going  to  make  Keene  and  Cele 
and  Georgie  show  of.  i  hate  showing  of.  enny- 
way  i  havent  got  to  show  of  becaus  father  says  i 
cant  sing,    i  can  sing  but  he  dont  know  it  you  bet. 

Oct.  14.  rany  and  windy,  i  have  got  a  sore 
throte.  father  dident  want  to  have  the  minister 
to  supper,  he  said  to  mother,  what  in  thunder 
do  you  want  a  minister  for,  and  mother  said,  we 
must  have  him  becaus  he  will  think  it  very  queer 
if  we  dont,  only  you  must  be  careful  not  to  say 
or  do  ennything  queer,  and  father  he  said  he  wood 

29 


**    S        e        q        n        i        1    " 

keep  his  eye  peeled,  but  he  told  mother  she  must 
look  out  for  the  children. 

Oct.  1 5.  still  rany,  my  throte  is  beter.  we  are 
going  to  have  chicking  for  supper  when  the  min- 
ister comes,  tonite  father  brought  some  new  gob- 
lets from  boston,  mother  and  aunt  Sarah  wirked 
all  day  making  pies  and  cake,  then  mother  let  me 
lite  a  paper  and  hold  the  chickings  over  it  to  burn 
of  the  little  fethers  and  hairs  i  like  it  becaus  it 
smels  like  thanksgiving  only  i  burnt  my  hand  and 
it  smelt  jest  like  the  chicking  but  i  dident  like 
that  you  bet. 

Oct.  16,  186-  today  the  hole  town  was  full 
of  ministers,  most  of  them  had  long  tailed  coats 
and  white  necktis.  Deekon  Gooch  came  down  to 
the  house  with  2  of  them,  aunt  Sarah  was  wa- 
ting  in  her  best  dress  and  when  she  saw  them 
coming  she  said  Murder  Joanna  they  is  2  of 
them,  what  shall  we  do,  and  mother  said,  mercy 
sakes  what  will  George  say.  well  the  bell  rung 
30 


"    S        e        <i        w        i        1    " 

and  i  went  to  the  door  and  asked  them  in  and 
Deekon  Gooch  said  they  was  Mister  Fernald  and 
Mister  Robinson,  he  said  they  was  his  brothers, 
then  Deekon  he  went  off  and  i  showed  them  to 
the  front  room  up  stairs  and  one  of  them  asked 
me  if  i  loved  the  lord  and  i  said  yes  sir  and  he 
said  i  was  a  good  boy.  and  then  he  asked  me  if  i 
went  to  church  and  Sunday  school  and  i  said  yes 
sir  and  he  asked  me  what  was  the  tex  last  Sunday 
and  i  said  i  dident  know  what  tex  ment  and  he 
said  what  did  he  prech  from  and  i  said  he 
preeched  from  the  pulpit  in  church  and  from  the 
platform  in  Sunday  school,  and  Mister  Fernald  he 
began  to  laff  and  Mister  Robinson  he  said  i  wood- 
ent  laff  if  i  was  you  brother,  and  then  he  said 
what  does  the  minister  say  after  the  first  prair 
and  i  said  o  yes  i  know  now,  he  says  we  will  now 
take  up  the  usual  colection  and  then  Mister 
Fernald  laffed  again,  then  Mister  Robinson  he 
asked  me  how  many  sisters  i  had  and  i  said  4 

31 


"Sean 


99 


and  he  asked  if  they  went  to  church  and  i  said 
Keene  and  Cele  sing  in  the  quire  and  Georgie 
goes  but  Annie  and  Frankie  and  the  baby  was 
two  little  and  then  he  asked  if  father  went  to 
church  and  i  said  not  very  often,  only  when 
Keene  and  Cele  had  to  sing  a  duet,  and  then  he 
asked  me  what  else  he  did  Sundays  and  i  said 
sometimes  he  made  viniger  down  celler  and  some- 
times he  went  over  to  see  John  Adams  hens  or 
down  to  Gim  Melchers  shop  or  up  to  Hirum  Gil- 
mores,  and  he  said  it  is  very  deploorible  is  it  not, 
brother  and  Mister  Fernald  he  laffed  again  and 
said  he  gessed  he  better  not  ask  me  any  more 
questions,  and  perhaps  my  father  woodent  like  to 
have  me  tell  all  about  him,  and  i  said  father  was- 
ent  afrade,  and  he  said  he  dident  give  much  for 
ministers  ennyway  and  then  Mister  Fernald  laffed 
as  hard  as  he  cood  and  Mister  Robinson  looked 
mad,  then  we  went  down  stairs  and  they  shook 
hands  with  mother  and  aunt  Sarah  and  Mister 
32 


"    S        e        q       u       i        1    " 

Robinson  he  set  down  by  aunt  Sarah  and  asked 
her  about  the  church  and  prair  meetings  and  why 
she  dident  always  go  and  lots  of  things  like  that 
and  Mister  Fernald  he  got  the  baby  in  his  lap 
and  he  talked  to  mother  about  the  children  and 
told  us  stories  and  he  was  jest  buly.  then  bimeby 
father  he  came  home  and  he  shook  hands  with 
them  and  he  said  he  was  glad  to  see  them  whitch 
was  a  auful  lie.  then  mother  said  super  was 
ready  and  we  all  went  in  to  super  and  father 
kept  talking  and  telling  stories  until  mother  said 
George  and  looked  at  him,  and  he  shet  up  and 
turned  red  and  then  Mister  Robinson  began  to 
pray  and  all  of  us  kept  still  but  Georgie  who  be- 
gan to  gigle,  and  mother  looked  scowly  at  her 
and  she  shet  up  two.  then  father  looked  at 
mother  and  winked  and  i  had  to  put  my  hand 
over  my  mouth,  mother  she  almost  laffed  to, 
and  Mister  Robinson  he  kept  on  praying  till 
bimeby  Frankie  he  said  Mama  i  wish  that  man 

33 


"    S        e        q        u       i        1    " 

wood  stop  and  Mister  Fernald  he  began  to  coff  i 
bet  he  wanted  to  laff.  well  ennyway  Mister  Rob- 
inson he  stoped.  then  father  helped  them  to 
chicking  and  bisket  and  gelly  and  cony  and 
everything  and  then  he  helped  us  and  we  all  be- 
gun to  eat  and  bimeby  Annie  said  we  have  got 
some  napkins  tonite,  and  Frankie  said  we  have 
got  some  little  plates  to  put  the  butter  on,  and  i 
saw  them  first,  and  Annie  said  we  have  got  some 
new  goblets  two,  so  there,  and  Frankie  run  his 
tung  out  at  Annie  and  she  made  up  a  face  at  him, 
and  then  father  told  them  to  stop  and  they 
stoped  and  mother  and  aunt  Sarah  turned  red 
and  Mister  Robinson  he  looked  auful  solium  and 
Mister  Fernald  looked  funny  and  then  he  looked 
at  father  an  begun  to  laff  and  father  laffed  and 
then  we  all  laffed  as  hard  as  we  cood,  and  Mister 
Fernald  he  said,  dont  mind  a  bit  Missis  Shute,  i 
have  got  children  of  my  own,  i  like  Mister  Fer- 
nald. after  super  Frankie  and  Annie  were  sent 
34 


"    S       e       «i       u       i        1    " 

to  bed  and  we  went  into  the  parlor  and  father 
kept  us  all  laffing  telling  stories,  and  then  Keene 
and  Cele  sung  now  i  lay  me  down  to  sleep,  and 
there  is  a  bank  on  whitch  the  wild  time  grows, 
and  Cele  sung  flow  gently  sweet  Afton  and 
Georgie  sung  i  wood  i  were  a  fary  queen,  and 
then  Mister  Robinson  wanted  us  to  sing  a  relig- 
ous  song  and  we  sung  shall  we  gather  at  the 
river,  then  they  asked  me  to  sing  and  i  said  i 
coodent  and  father  said  before  he  thought,  that 
boy  is  bedeviled  to  play  a  cornet,  then  Mister 
Fernald  he  said  let  him  play  it,  it  wont  hurt  him, 
then  father  begun  to  tell  some  more  stories  and 
kept  us  laffin  fit  to  die,  and  Mister  Fernald  he 
said  he  hadent  laffed  so  much  for  years,  and  he 
said,  to  mother,  Missis  Shute  i  gess  you  have  a 
prety  good  natured  husband,  and  she  said  yes, 
and  father  he  said  he  most  never  got  mad  and 
jest  then  the  bell  rung,  and  Keene  went  to  the 
door  and  said  that  Mister  Swane  the  poliseman 

35 


Sean 


*> 


wanted  to  see  father  and  father  he  went  to  the 
door  and  in  a  minit  we  herd  him  swaring  and 
herd  him  say  it  is  a  dam  lie  Swane  and  you  know 
it  and  then  Swane  went  away  and  father  came  in 
and  said  that  someone  had  ridden  horseback  over 
the  concreek  sidewalk  and  they  tride  to  lay  it  on 
me.  Then  it  was  bedtime  and  Mister  Robinson 
he  prayed  some  more  and  he  prayed  for  those 
who  took  the  name  of  the  lord  in  vane,  and  then 
we  went  to  bed. 

Oct.  17.  Brite  and  fair,  the  old  ministers  has 
gone,  i  am  glad  of  it.  i  liked  Mister  Fernald  but 
i  hated  old  Robinson,  i  gess  he  wont  get  invited 
here  again,  this  morning  at  brekfast  he  prayed 
again  until  the  brekfast  was  most  cold  and  he 
prayed  a  good  deal  about  takin  the  name  of  the 
lord  in  vane  and  i  cood  see  that  mother  looked 
mad  but  she  dident  say  ennything.  bimeby  he 
begun  to  talk  to  mother  about  father  having  a 
unfortunate  temper,  and  said  his  langage  was 
36 


'*    S       e        q        u       i        1    " 

shocking,  and  Cele  she  up  and  said,  i  gess  my 
father  is  as  good  as  you  are  and  Keene  stuck  out 
her  tung  and  mother  sent  them  away  from  the 
table,  and  then  old  Robinson  he  said  i  am  afrade 
your  children  are  not  well  brought  up,  and 
mother  looked  rite  at  him  a  minit  and  then  she 
said,  i  shood  feel  very  badly  if  my  children  shood 
xcept  hospitality  from  another  person  and  critti- 
sise  that  person  to  his  face,  at  all  events  i  cannot 
submit  to  have  my  husband  or  my  children  critti- 
sized,  and  Mister  Robinson  he  dident  say  enny- 
more  you  bet.  after  brekfast  they  went  away,  and 
Mister  Fernald  he  shook  hands  with  us  all  and  he 
asked  mother  to  let  Cele  and  Keene  come  down 
to  shake  hands  and  she  did.  after  they  had  went 
mother  she  gave  us  a  peace  of  mince  pie  apeace 
and  we  all  hoorayed  for  mother,  none  of  us  went 
to  church  today. 

Oct.  18.    brite  and  fair,    tonite  father  borowed 
Gim  Loverings  horse  and  wagun  to   go  riding. 

37 


*'     S        e        q        u        i        1    ♦• 

Gim  said  it  aught  to  be  greesed,  so  father  asked 
me  to  greese  the  wheals,  and  then  he  said  i  will 
do  it  myself,  and  then  i  will  be  sure  it  will  be 
done  rite,  so  he  got  the  munky  rench  and  the 
lantern  and  some  lard  and  went  out  to  greese  the 
wheals,  and  when  he  had  greesed  them  he  come 
in  and  washed  his  hands  and  then  he  went  out 
and  told  mother  not  to  set  up  for  him  and  he  un- 
hitched the  horse  and  hollered  gitap  and  when 
the  horse  started  one  side  of  the  wagun  went 
down  whack  and  out  came  father,  well  he  held 
on  to  the  ranes  and  stoped  the  horse  and  mother 
said  what  is  the  matter,  and  father  said  that  in- 
fernal boy  dident  screw  up  the  nut  and  the  wheal 
come  of  and  nearly  broke  my  neck,  and  as  soon 
as  i  tie  this  horse  i  will  give  him  a  good  whaling 
and  aunt  Sarah  said  George  you  greesed  the 
wheals  yourself  and  father  said  by  thunder  so  i 
did.  then  i  got  the  lantern  and  we  looked  for  the 
wheal  and  it  was  leaning  up  against  the  apple 
38 


"    S        e        a       u       i        1 


99 


tree  and  father  said  jest  look  at  that,  the  wheal 
ran  up  to  the  tree  and  stoped,  and  then  we 
hunted  round  for  the  nut  and  we  coodent  find  it 
and  i  got  down  on  my  nees  and  father  held  the 
lantern,  and  Cele  and  Keene  came  out  and 
hunted  and  we  coodent  find  it.  bimeby  father 
said  he  could  put  on  the  wheal  and  hold  it  on  till 
he  got  back  to  Gims  and  he  lifted  up  the  ex  and 
i  went  to  put  on  the  wheal  and  there  was  the  nut 
all  screwed  on  the  ex.  father  had  put  on  the  nut 
but  had  forgot  to  put  on  the  wheal  and  had  left 
the  ex  resting  on  the  jack,  i  gess  he  hadent  bet- 
ter say  mutch  about  me. 

Oct.  19.  I  have  got  a  new  box  of  paper 
collers. 

Oct.  20.  brite  and  fair,  this  afternoon  me  and 
Fatty  Melcher  wirked  all  the  afternoon  puting 
leafs  in  old  Putty  Lowjys  barn,  old  Putty  said 
he  wood  pay  us  but  when  we  asked  him  for  our 
pay  he  said  we  cood  have  all  the  horse  chesnuts 

39 


«    S       e        q        n        i        1    '» 

we  wanted,  so  we  got  a  baskit  and  picked  it  full 
and  went  back  to  Fattys  and  pluged  horse  ches- 
nuts  at  old  Puttys  cat. 

Oct.  21.  brite  and  fair.  Skinny  Bruce  and  Ben 
Rundlet  got  fiting  to-day.  old  Bandbox  Tomson 
came  in  to  lern  us  some  music  and  he  left  his 
fiddel  in  the  entry  and  at  resess  Ben  he  put  some 
sope  on  his  bow  and  when  old  Bandbox  tried  to 
play  on  it  he  coodent  make  a  squeak,  then  old 
Francis  asked  every  feller  in  school  who  done  it, 
and  when  Ben  said  he  dident  know  who  done  it 
old  Francis  he  up  and  whaled  time  out  of  Ben. 
i  gess  old  Francis  see  Ben  do  it.  ennyway  after 
school  Skinny  he  hollered  Ben  how  did  you  like 
your  licking,  and  Ben  he  hollered  back  Skinny 
Bruce  is  a  redheaded  goose,  and  Skinny  he  got 
mad  and  paisted  Ben  one  in  the  eye  and  Ben  he 
give  Skinny  a  sidewinder  and  then  they  fit  from 
first  base  to  Colbaths  barn  where  Whack  got 
stunted  and  old  Polly  Smith  came  out  and  said  if 
40 


"    S       e       q       n       i       1    V 

they  dident  stop  fiting  she  wood  go  for  the  polise, 
and  so  they  stoped.    i  bet  on  Skinny. 

Oct.  22,  186-  brite  and  fair  and  most  as 
hot  as  summer,  that  was  prety  mean  of  old 
Putty. 

Oct.  23.  Mary  Watson,  Beany's  sister  and 
Mary  Straton  whose  father  chased  me  and  Beany 
when  we  broke  the  gaslite,  can  run  faster  then 
enny  of  the  fellers  xcept  Tomtit  and  Arthur 
Francis. 

Oct.  24.  i  have  been  sick  agen.  not  very  sick 
but  my  legs  aked  ferful.  mother  says  it  is  becaus 
i  am  growin  so  fast,  but  i  know  why,  me  and 
Boog  Chadwick  rassled  all  yesterday  afternoon, 
ferst  i  throwed  Boog  and  then  Boog  throwed  me, 
and  when  we  got  through  Boog  was  only  2 
throws  ahead,  we  dident  get  mad  at  all.  enny- 
way  i  dident  have  to  go  to  church. 

Oct.  25.  tonite  we  had  company  to  super. 
Mister  and  Missis  Merill.     Frankie  did  a  funny 

41 


"    S        e        q        u        i        1    " 

thing,  father  asked  mother  for  some  chese  and 
mother  she  said  they  wasent  enny,  and  Frankie 
he  said  he  knew  where  they  was  some  and  father 
said  all  rite  Frankie  if  you  can  get  some  i  will  give 
you  a  cent,  father  he  thinks  Frankie  is  auful 
smart,  and  so  Frankie  he  climed  out  of  his  high 
chair  and  ran  out  into  the  kitchen  and  bimeby  he 
came  in  with  3  little  peaces  of  chese  and  father 
he  asked  him  where  he  got  them  and  he  brought 
in  the  rat  trap,  you  had  just  aught  to  have  herd 
them  laff. 

Oct.  26.  Clowdy  but  no  rane.  some  folks  can 
eat  chese  that  is  all  wiggly. 

Oct.  27.    still  clowdy.    i  cant. 

Oct.  28.  Beany  has  got  the  best  little  ax  i 
ever  saw.  his  father  got  it  for  him  to  split  his 
kindlins.  i  wish  i  had  one  like  it  for  i  have  to 
split  my  kindlins  with  a  old  rusty  ax  that  ways 
about  a  tun. 

Oct.  29.  brite  and  fair,  tonite  i  went  over  and 
42 


6fc 


S        e        q        u        i        1    " 


helped  Beany  split  kindlins  with  his  new  ax.  it 
was  jest  as  easy  as  ennything. 

Oct.  30.  brite  and  fair,  old  Tom  Fifield  killed 
his  pig  today  and  give  Beany  the  bladder,  and  we 
blew  it  up  with  a  pipe  stem  and  kicked  it  for  a 
football  after  school.  Jack  Melvin  is  going  to 
have  Micky  Kelleys  fathers  pigs  bladder,  only 
he  dont  kill  his  pig  till  most  winter,  i  am  go- 
ing to  have  Oliver  Lanes,  and  his  pig  is  the 
bigest  in  town,  i  bet  his  will  be  as  big  as  the 
stewdcats  big  football,  all  the  fellers  wish  they 
cood  get  it. 

Oct.  31.  cold  as  time  this  morning,  but  i  had 
to  go  to  church  jest  the  same. 

Nov.  1 .  Beany  got  a  licking  today  for  hollering 
after  old  Nancy  Marble,  she  went  into  Beanys 
house  and  told  Beanys  father,  i  hollered  two  but 
father  was  in  boston  and  she  coodent  tell  him. 

Nov.  2.  brite  and  fair.  Oliver  Lane  killed  his 
pig  today,    it  was  the  bigest  pig  in  town,    i  had 

43 


*•    S        e        q        u        i        1    " 

been  wating  for  the  bladder  ever  sense  last  June 
and  i  thought  such  a  big  pig  aught  to  have  a  big 
bladder,  but  it  was  jest  the  littlest  bladder  i  ever 
see.  i  suppose  it  was  so  fat  inside  they  wasent 
enny  room  for  the  bladder.  Skinny  Bruces  pigs 
fathers  bladder,  no  i  mean  Skinny  Bruces  fathers 
pigs  bladder  was  most  twice  as  big. 

Nov.  3.  Brite  and  fair,  the  water  in  the  rane 
baril  was  froze  over  last  nite.  today  i  blew  up  the 
bladder  and  dride  it  in  the  kitchen,  it  made  a 
prety  good  football.  Pewt  dident  give  me  his 
fathers  pigs  bladder  that  he  promised  me  when 
i  let  him  see  the  fite  when  Gim  Erly  licked  Will 
Simpkins.     you  jest  wait  Pewt  and  you  will  see. 

Nov.  4.  brite  and  fair.  Georgie  got  sent  to 
bed  today  and  had  to  stay  in  bed  all  the  afternoon, 
mother  told  her  not  to  tuch  a  vase  that  was  full 
of  sand  to  make  it  heavy,  i  wanted  the  sand  for 
my  aquarian  and  so  i  poored  it  out.  well  bimeby 
Georgie  came  in  and  went  up  to  take  the  vase 
44 


n       i        I    " 


and  it  was  so  lite  that  when  she  lifted  hard  it 
came  up  so  quick  that  she  went  rite  over  back- 
ward and  smashed  the  vase  all  to  bits,  mother 
came  running  in  and  found  that  Georgie  wasent 
hurt,  but  she  howled  as  loud  as  she  cood  so  that 
mother  woodent  lick  her,  and  so  she  got  sent  to 
bed.    mother  said  it  sirved  her  rite. 

Nov.  5.  Brite  and  fair,  i  have  been  sick  today, 
i  gess  i  et  two  much  spare  rib.  when  i  think  of  it 
it  makes  me  sick,  so  i  have  been  thinking  over 
the  poitry  about  the  fellers,  some  of  it  is  prety 
good. 

Ed  Tole  fell  in  a  hole 

and  coodent  get  out  to  save  his  sole 
i  made  that  up. 

Plupy  Shute 

is  a  dirty  brute. 

and  never  will  fite 

if  they  is  a  chance  to  scoot, 
Pewt  he  made  that  up. 

45 


"Sean 


99 


Old  Tim  Calahan 

he  was  a  hell  of  a  man. 
Fatty  Melcher  he  made  that  up. 

Frank  Hanes  aint  got  enny  branes 

and  dont  know  enuf  to  go  in  when  it  ranes 
Beany  he  made  that  up. 

Nipper  Brown  tumbled  down 

and  busted  his  head  and  cracked  his  crown, 
i  made  that  up  too. 

Granvil  Miller  the  barber 

went  to  shave  his  father 

the  razer  sliped  and  cut  his  lip 

becaus  he  forgot  the  lather. 
Skinny  Bruce  he  made  that  up. 

i  tell  you  they  is  some  prety  good  poits  among 
the  fellers,  but  any  feller  whitch  gets  poitry 
made  up  about  him  gets  mad. 

Nov.  6.  brite  and  fair.  Ed  Tole  can  spit  fur- 
ther than  enny  feller  in  school. 

Nov.  7.    Keene  and  Cele  are  sick  in  bed  and 

46 


"    S       e       <|       li       i       1    « 

coodent  sing  today  in  church,  they  have  feerful 
headakes.    docter  Perry  came  in  to  see  them. 

Nov.  8.  brite  and  fair.  Keene  and  Cele  and 
Georgie  are  all  sick  now  and  the  docter  says  it  is 
scarlet  fever,  they  are  all  up  in  the  front 
chamber  and  mother  and  aunt  Sarah  take  care  of 
them. 

Nov.  9-  clowdy  but  no  rane.  Annie  is  sick 
now  and  i  cant  go  to  school  ennymore.  i  like 
that,    so  i  am  making  a  hen  koop. 

Nov.  10.  Rany  today.  Beany  he  hollered  over 
today  to  find  out  how  Keene  and  Cele  and 
Georgie  and  Annie  are.  i  have  got  a  soar  throte 
but  i  aint  going  to  tell  ennyone  about  it. 

Nov.  11.  i  had  a  headake  all  last  nite.  i  bet 
i  am  going  to  have  the  fever.  Frankie  has  got  it 
now  and  mother  is  afrade  the  baby  is  coming 
down,  she  asked  me  how  i  felt  and  i  said  buly. 

Nov.  1 2.  old  Missis  Smith  is  helping  take  care 
of  the  house  and  gets  the  brekfasts  and  dinners 

47 


•'    S        e        q        11        i        1    " 

and  suppers,  today  docter  Perry  he  came  down 
stairs  and  i  was  setting  in  a  chair  and  he  said 
what  is  the  matter  with  you,  and  i  said  nothing 
and  he  said  let  me  look  at  your  throte,  and  he 
made  me  open  my  mouth  and  he  looked  down  in 
my  gozzle  and  then  he  said  you  march  upstairs 
into  the  hospitle  and  tell  your  mother  that  you 
are  a  new  pacient  and  i  went  up  and  when  mother 
saw  me  come  in  she  said  well  i  have  been  expect- 
ing you.  then  i  went  down  to  my  room  and  got 
my  niteshert  and  i  thaught  i  aught  to  write  this 
down  becaus  i  might  die.  people  do  die  of  scar- 
let fever,  i  wonder  if  ennyone  wood  read  it  if  i 
did  die.  ennyway  father  said  once  that  a  boy 
whitch  was  born  to  be  hung  never  wood  die  in 
enny  other  way,  so  i  gess  i  am  all  rite,  ennyway  i 
aint  going  to  wright  ennymore  till  i  get  well. 

Jan.  17.    brite  and  fair,    i  dident  die  and  every 
one  of  us  got  well.    Annie  had  it  the  wirst  and  i 

48 


•«    S       e       <i       n       i       1    " 

had  it  the  next  wirst  and  Frankie  and  the  baby 
want  hardly  sick  any.  today  is  the  first  time  i 
have  been  out.  Cele  and  Keene  went  out  last 
Wensday  but  i  coodent  becaus  i  hadent  got  done 
peeling,  after  folks  have  the  scarlet  fever  their 
skin  dries  up  and  peels  of  and  if  you  get  cold  in 
the  peeling  you  die  every  time,  i  had  on  my 
Hoppy  Gad  boots  for  the  first  time  today,  father 
brougt  them  up  to  show  me  when  i  was  in  bed. 
i  was  prety  sick  and  dident  know  nothing  for  2  or 
3  days,  mother  says  i  was  talking  about  the  fel- 
lers i  knew  in  Reading,  we  lived  in  Reading  one 
year  and  so  i  thought  i  was  there  i  gess  and  she 
says  i  talked  of  George  and  Wendal  Evans  and 
Puggy  Fergerson  and  Totty  Procter  and  Emma 
Wallis  and  Jonny  Pike  and  Ed  Harndin  and 
Nelly  Minot.  i  had  a  fite  with  Ed  Harndin  and 
licked  him.  when  Willy  died  we  came  back  to 
Exeter,  and  she  said  i  talked  about  Willy  to,  and 
everything,    we  had  some  fun  while  we  was  sick. 

49 


"    S        e        q        u        i        1    " 

Cele  used  to  tell  stories  and  we  made  flyboxes 
and  then  when  mother  was  out  of  the  room  we 
wood  turn  sumersets,  and  bimeby  when  we  got  so 
that  we  cood  eat  apples  we  used  to  have  one 
apeace  every  day  and  we  had  to  scrape  them 
with  a  nife  and  eat  the  soft  part,  and  when  we 
were  geting  beter  we  were  auful  cross,  i  gess 
most  every  one  wood  be  cross  to  lose  thanksgiv- 
ing and  crismas  two,  and  my  berth  day,  and  all 
the  skating  and  snowbaling.  ennyway  i  havent 
got  to  go  to  school  this  week. 

Jan.  18,  186-  buly  snowbaling.  i  went  out  to- 
day a  long  time,  mother  told  me  not  to  plug 
snowballs,  so  i  only  throwed  2  or  3.  i  am  hungry 
all  the  time. 

Jan.  19-  brite  and  fair,  one  of  my  hens  died 
when  i  was  sick  and  the  rooster  frose  his  comb, 
it  is  prety  tuf  on  me. 

Jan.  20.    i  went  sliding  today  on  factory  hill, 
it  was  buly.    they  wasent  hardly  ennyone  there. 
50 


"    S       e        a       u       i       1 


9* 


Jan.  21.  brite  and  fair.  Whack  and  Boog  have 
got  a  duble  runner,  they  made  it  out  of  there 
sleds  dart  and  arrow,  it  is  the  fastest  duble  run- 
ner on  the  hill,  i  went  with  them,  we  beat 
Pewts  duble  runner  esy.  Pewts  is  biger  and  Mis- 
ter Purington  Pewts  father  painted  it  buly  but  it 
cant  go  as  fast  or  as  fur  as  Whack  and  Boogs. 
Pewt  was  mad  becaus  we  beat  him. 

Jan.  22.  i  went  to  church  today.  Keene  and 
Cele  sung  in  the  quire.  Beany  kept  sticking  his 
head  out  from  behind  the  organ  and  making  up 
faces  at  me  to  make  me  laif  out  loud  till  the  min- 
ister spoke  to  him  and  he  felt  prety  cheep. 

Jan.  23.  snowed  and  raned  today  both,  i  had 
my  sled  painted  today,  it  is  painted  black  with 
a  gold  stripe  and  Exeter  Boy  in  gold  letters  on  it. 
Mister  Purington  Pewts  father  painted  it.  i  went 
to  school  today,    nobody  got  licked. 

Jan.  24.  clowdy.  my  sled  is  most  dry  enuf  to 
use. 

51 


"    S       e       q       «       1       i    " 


Jan.  25.  it  misted  last  nite  and  frose  and  to- 
day everything  was  covered  with  ice  it  was  fun  to 
see  people  fall  down,  most  everybody  fell  down, 
i  went  sliding  on  spring  street. 

Jan.  26.  cold  as  time,  i  went  to  school,  we 
are  going  over  colburns  in  revew  and  so  i  can 
keep  up. 

Jan.  27.  I  havent  got  enny thing  to  wright  to- 
day xcept  that  i  went  to  school.  John  Adams 
has  got  a  new  brama  rooster. 

Jan.  28.  Brite  and  fair,  i  licked  Ti  Crummet 
today,  me  and  Whack  and  Fatty  Melcher  was 
over  on  Factory  Hill  sliding  and  Ti  Crummet  and 
Hirum  Mingo  and  Bobberty  Robinson  and  Dinky 
Lord  came  over  and  i  had  my  sled  all  new 
painted,  Pewts  father  painted  it  and  Ti  Crummet 
run  his  old  sled  agenst  it  and  nocked  of  sum  of 
the  painty  and  i  told  him  to  keep  his  old  sled  of 
mine  and  Ti  he  said  he  wood  nock  sum  of  the 
paint  of  me  if  i  said  2  words  more  and  then  he 
52 


*    S       e       q        u       i        1    M 

swoar  feerfully.  i  dident  say  nothing  becaus  i 
dident  want  to  fite  him,  and  Hirum  Mingo  said 
Plupy  says  he  can  lick  you  Ti  and  Ti  said  i  can 
nock  hel  out  of  you  old  spindel  legs  and  i  said  i 
dident  say  so  and  Ti  he  swoar  sum  more  so  it  sort 
of  scart  me_,  well  then  i  was  going  and  Hirum  he 
pushed  Ti  rite  into  me  and  he  kicked  me  in  the 
leg  and  got  hold  of  my  hair  and  i  got  the  under 
hold  and  got  him  down  jest  as  esy  as  ennything 
and  then  i  set  on  him  and  lammed  him  til  he 
holered  enuf  and  then  i  let  him  up  and  he 
went  home  balling,  i  bet  he  beter  not  fite  me 
agen. 

Jan.  29-  Brite  and  fair,  it  aint  the  feller 
whitch  can  swear  the  feerfullest  whitch  is  the 
best  fiter.  i  went  to  church  and  Sunday  school 
today. 

Jan.  30.  Brite  and  fair.  Johnny  Kelly  can  lick 
enny  feller  on  Court  or  South  Street  and  he  can 
swear  auful  two.    i  gess  most  of  the   fellers  is 

53 


"8        e        a        11        i        1    " 


scart  of  him  becaus  he  can  swear  so.  i  aint  scart 
of  him. 

Jan.  31.  Rany.  not  mutch  but  sum.  we  was 
playing  snap  the  whip  today  and  Johnny  Kelly 
was  on  the  end  and  got  snaped  rite  into  a  pudel 
of  water  and  he  said  i  dident  hold  on  and  he 
wood  give  me  a  slap  in  the  mug  and  i  said  he 
want  man  enuf  and  jest  then  the  bell  rang  and  we 
had  to  go  in.  tomorow  he  had  beter  look  out  i 
am  going  to  give  him  one  in  the  eye  and  then 
grab  for  the  under  hold  and  get  him  down  and 
lam  him  good,  i  bet  he  cant  fite  enny  beter 
then  Ti  Crummet  did,  and  when  i  have  licked 
him  all  the  fellers  will  be  afrade  of  me.  i  bet  he 
will  wish  he  had  never  fit  with  me. 

Feb.  1.  Brite  and  Fair,  i  have  got  a  black  eye. 
this  morning  i  went  to  school  erly  and  when  i  got 
there  Johnny  Kelly  was  there  and  he  said  now 
old  Plupy  longlegs  i  will  fix  you  and  i  said  pile 
rite  in  and  we  will  see  and  he  began  to  swear 
54 


"    S       e       a       u       i       1    " 


wirse  then  Ti  did,  and  i  said  if  you  want  a  good 
paist  in  the  gob  they  is  plenty  of  them  rite  here 
if  you  are  man  enuf  to  sale  in,  and  when  i  said 
that  he  come  at  me  so  quick  that  i  dident  have 
time  to  get  ready  and  he  hit  me  in  the  eye  and  in 
the  mouth  2  times  and  got  the  underhold  before 
i  cood  and  got  me  down  and  lammed  me  till  i 
hollered  enuf.  then  all  the  fellers  holered  Plupy 
got  licked  Plupy  has  got  a  black  eye.  it  was 
prety  mean  ennyway.  when  i  got  home  to  dinner 
mother  asked  me  how  i  got  my  eye  sore  and  i  said 
i  got  it  boxing  with  Johnny  Kelly  and  she  said 
was  you  fiteing  and  i  said  we  box  every  day  in 
school  sometimes  Beany  and  Whack  and  some- 
times me  and  Pewt  but  today  me  and  Johnny 
Kelly  boxed  and  he  hits  to  hard  and  she  said  she 
shood  think  so,  and  said  i  had  beter  box  with 
sum  other  boy  and  i  gess  so  two.  ennyway  i  did- 
ent lie  to  her  for  that  wasent  lying. 


55 


"    8        e        q        u        i       1    *» 

Feb.  2.  Brite  and  fair,  i  gave  Johnny  Kelly 
the  core  of  my  apple  today.  Gosh  sum  fellers  can 
fite  auful  and  swear  auful  two. 

Feb.  3.  Brite  and  fair.  Beany  has  got  a  new 
blew  jacket,  he  felt  prety  big  about  it  until  Pewt 
took  him  in  the  back  with  a  roten  apple.  Beany 
staid  in  all  resess  a  scraping  the  apple  off  of  his 
coat,  this  afternoon  he  wore  his  old  jacket,  but  he 
is  going  to  pay  Pewt  for  that  sum  way. 

Feb.  4.  it  snowed  hard  all  day  all  the  fellers 
are  whacking  cats  head  on  each  others  back,  you 
take  some  chork  and  chork  the  inside  of  your 
hand  and  your  ferst  and  last  finger  and  then  you 
wet  your  fingers  and  make  eyes  and  nose  and 
mouth  in  your  chorky  hand  and  then  you  wate  til 
a  feller  comes  along  and  then  you  lam  him  one 
on  the  back  and  it  makes  the  funniest  cats  head 
on  his  back  you  ever  see  with  eyes  and  nose  and 
mouth  and  2  long  ears  whitch  your  fingers  made, 
i  got  5  on  my  back  today  and  i  got  1  on  Beany 

56 


"    S       e       «       u       i       1    " 


and  2  on  Pewt  and  1  on  Pop  Clark  and  1  on 
Nipper  Brown. 

Feb.  5.  it  snowed  this  morning  and  we  dident 
go  to  church  i  dug  some  paths  and  read  Billy 
Bowlegs  in  the  afternoon,  after  super  it  snowed 
again  and  is  snowing  now.  i  bet  they  will  be 
some  deep  drifts  tomorow. 

Feb.  6.  brite  and  fair,  it  has  cleared  off. 
everything  was  jest  as  white  and  they  wasent 
hardly  a  track  in  the  snow,  i  had  to  dig  sum 
paths,  and  i  got  up  erly  and  dug  a  path  down  the 
frunt  steps  and  out  to  the  road  so  father  cood  get 
into  the  hack.  Jo  Parmer  said  it  was  prety  tuf 
slaying,  my  Hoppy  Gad  boots  have  been  greesed 
and  they  dont  leak  a  bit.  me  and  Pewt  and 
Beany  had  sum  fun  diving,  we  tide  scarfs  round 
our  heds  and  necks  and  div  from  our  steps  into  a 
snow  drift,  and  we  cood  go  in  way  out  of  sight. 
we  tide  our  britches  down  over  our  boots,  it  was 
more  fun  than  diving  in  the  river,    after  we  div 

57 


**    S        e       q        u       i        1    " 

one  drift  all  down  we  tride  another,  and  bimeby 
Beany  he  said  come  on  fellers  here  is  a  buly  drift 
down  by  the  shed  and  we  went  down  and  Beany 
said  i  chuse  first  dive  and  he  clim  up  on  the  shed 
and  said  1  to  make  ready,  2  to  prepare,  3  to  be 
going  and  4  to  be  there,  and  then  he  div  rite 
into  the  swill  bucket,  it  was  under  the  snow  and 
Beany  coodent  see  it,  and  when  he  came  up  he 
was  all  swill  and  he  was  mad  and  said  i  knew  it 
all  the  time,  and  he  went  home  and  aint  going  to 
ever  speak  to  me  enny  more,  i  coodent  see  the 
old  bucket  enny  more  than  he  cood.  it  is  jest 
like  Beany  to  get  mad  at  every  little  thing,  i  bet 
he  wood  lafF  if  i  div  in  the  swill  bucket. 

Feb.  7.  Brite  and  fair.  Beany  woodent  speek 
to  me  today,  all  rite  Beany  you  jest  wait  and 
see. 

Feb.  8.  Brite  and  fair,  it  was  buly  snowball- 
ing, we  was  pluging  stewdcats  today  and  Pacer 
Gooch  came  along,  so  we  got  behind  trees  and 
58 


"    S        e        q        11        i        1    " 

Pewt  peeked  jest  in  time  to  get  one  rite  in  the 
eye.  he  had  aught  to  know  beter  than  peek  out 
when  Pacer  is  pluging  snowballs. 

Feb.  9-  me  and  Fatty  Melcher  are  making 
some  arrow  rifles  down  to  his  shop,  we  are  going 
hunting  for  rabbits  saterday.    brite  and  fair. 

Feb.  10.  brite  and  fair,  tonite  father  brougt 
a  magasine  home  tonite.  it  is  the  young  folks, 
we  all  wanted  it  so  we  took  turns,  ferst  Cele  read 
a  story  and  then  i  read  a  story  and  then  Keene, 
we  all  read  it  out  loud.  Cele  read  amung  the 
glass  blowers.  Keene  read  the  story  of  a  bad  boy. 
and  i  read  around  the  evening  lamp,  they  was 
all  buly  stories. 

Feb.  11,  186-  this  afternoon  me  and  Fatty 
Melcher  and  Potter  Goram  went  hunting,  we 
had  our  arrow  rifles  and  Fatty  had  a  ax  and  Pot- 
ter a  hachet  in  his  belt  and  i  had  a  nife.  we  had 
a  buly  time,  we  went  up  to  the  eddy  and  then 
went  across  the  river  on  Gilmans  side,    we  saw  2 

59 


"    S       e       <i       11       i       1    »» 

patriges  and  1  rabbit  and  some  blewgays.  we 
dident  hit  them  but  we  came  prety  near  them, 
then  we  bilt  a  fire  and  et  our  donnuts  and  then 
we  tracked  a  rabbit  into  a  pile  of  bushes,  when 
we  turned  over  a  log  we  scart  out  a  field  mouse 
and  killed  it.  tonite  Potter  came  down  to  the 
house  and  we  read  young  yagers. 

Feb.  12.  it  raned  hard  all  day.  Keene  and 
Cele  had  to  go  to  church  and  so  i  had  to  go  two. 
they  wasent  many  there,    it  ranes  now. 

Feb.  13.  it  raned  hard  all  nite.  i  cood  hear  it 
agenst  the  window  and  hear  the  wind  blow,  it  is 
comfertible  to  be  in  bed  and  hear  the  rane.  only 
i  forgot  my  kindlings  and  i  had  to  get  up  before 
six  oh  clock  this  morning. 

Feb.  14.  Beany  nearly  got  killed  today,  he 
was  spliting  wood  with  his  new  ax  and  he  was 
standing  rite  under  a  closeline.  Beany  feels  prety 
big  about  his  new  ax  and  he  had  got  so  that  he 
can  grunt  jest  like  men  who  chop  wood  all  the 

60 


"    S        e        q        u        i        I    " 

time,  so  Beany  he  swung  the  ax  over  his  head 
and  it  hit  the  closeline  and  bounced  rite  up  in 
the  air  and  came  rite  down  on  Beanys  head  and 
he  fell  down  whack  and  laid  there  till  his  father 
came  out  and  lugged  him  into  the  house,  they 
thought  he  was  ded  but  he  wasent.  I  went  over 
today  to  see  him,  he  was  setting  in  a  rocking  chair 
by  the  stove  with  his  head  rapped  up  in  a  towel, 
i  sent  Beany  a  valentine  today,  he  dident  send 
me  one  but  i  gess  it  was  because  he  was  sick. 

Feb.  15.  brite  and  fair.  Beany  is  better  today, 
i  went  over  and  split  his  kindlings  for  him. 

Feb.  16.  brite  and  fair  and  buly  snowballing. 
Gimmy  Watson,  Beanys  brother  said  if  Beanys 
head  hadent  been  jest  like  the  choping  block  it 
wood  have  killed  him.  Gimmy  is  mad  becaus 
Beany  calls  him  Garni.  He  can  lick  Beany  alone 
and  can  lick  me  alone  but  me  and  Beany  together 
can  lick  him. 

Feb.     17.    they  was  a    fire   down   on    franklin 

61 


"    S        e        q        u       i       1    •• 

street  today  and  Bob  Carter  got  all  squirted  over 
and  his  close  frose  to  the  ladder  he  was  on. 

Feb.  18,  186-  it  snowed  today,  and  then  it 
raned. 

Feb.    19-    we  have  vacation  in  about  2  weeks. 

Feb.  20.  i  shall  be  glad  when  spring  comes,  i 
wet  my  feet  most  every  day. 

Feb.  21.  we  are  going  to  have  a  school  xibi- 
sion  at  the  end  of  this  tirm  and  old  Francis  says 
he  is  going  to  give  prises  to  the  best  scholars. 
Nipper  and  Pricilla  and  all  the  other  good  boys 
are  studying  hard  so  as  to  get  the  prises,  i 
woodent  take  one  of  their  prises  if  they  wood 
give  me  one.  i  woodent  give  2  cents  for  their  old 
prises. 

Feb.  22.  today  is  Washington's  berthday  and 
we  can  ring  the  town  bell  at  1  oh  clock  and  at  5 
for  a  hour,  i  went  down  both  times  and  Ed  Der- 
bon  let  us  take  turns  in  ringing  the  bell,  only  2 
can  ring  at  a  time,  when  me  and  Fatty  Melcher 
62 


"    S        e        o       u       i        1 


99 


was  ringing  the  bell  went  over  and  it  pulled  us 
way  up  to  the  ceding,  most  of  the  fellers  staid 
out  in  frunt  of  the  church  and  pluged  snowballs, 
bimeby  some  stewdcats  came  along  and  we  pluged 
and  hit  a  stewdcat  named  Lee  rite  in  the  back  of 
his  head  and  he  said  we  have  stood  enuf  from 
these  townies  and  he  and  Stone  and  Clifford  and 
Winsor,  who  was  our  Sunday  school  teacher  until 
he  saw  the  rooster  fite_,  and  Belmont  came  over 
the  fence  and  charged  us  and  we  pluged  as  hard 
as  we  cood  and  they  pluged  two  and  we  ran  be- 
hind the  church  and  they  follered  us  and  jest 
lammed  us  and  washed  Beany s  face  and  rolled 
Pewt  in  the  wet  snow,  and  jest  then  Boog  and 
Whack  and  Puz  and  Zee  Smith  came  piling  in  and 
paisted  time  out  of  them  and  then  the  stewdcats 
charged  them  and  throwed  Whack  in  a  drift  and 
Zee  got  one  in  the  back  that  made  him  lay  down 
and  grunt  before  he  cood  get  his  breth,  and  then 
all  the  stewdcats  from  Toles  house  piled  out  and 

63 


"    S        e        q        11        i        1    " 

piched  in  and  they  was  giving  us  time  when 
Bozzaris  Wadly  see  the  fite  and  jumped  of  a  load 
of  wood  and  Pacer  and  Stuby  Gooch  and  Scotty 
Briggam  and  Kibo  Marston  and  Skinny  Bruce  and 
Frank  Elliott  herd  us  hollering  give  it  to  the 
stewdcats  and  came  running  over  and  then  we 
had  jest  a  buly  fite  and  i  tell  you  the  snow  balls 
jest  flew  and  Fatty  Gilman  got  one  rite  in  the 
eye  and  Pheby  Talor  got  one  rite  in  the  mouth 
jest  as  he  was  hollering  stewdcat  and  it  filled  his 
mouth  with  snow  and  old  Woodbrige  Odlin  was 
coming  out  of  the  bank  and  he  got  one  in  the  leg 
and  one  in  his  old  plug  hat  and  it  nocked  it  of 
and  he  went  over  to  the  hotel  and  i  gess  he  told 
old  Brown  becaus  he  and  Swane  and  Potsy  Dirgin 
the  poliseman  came  over  and  made  us  stop,  it 
was  the  best  snow  ball  fite  i  ever  saw.  we  are 
going  to  lay  for  the  stewdcats  next  saterday  at 
the  libary.  old  Bozzaris  Wadly  was  the  best  fiter 
we  had  and  nobody  knowed  he  cood  fite.  when 
64 


"    S       e        q        n       i        1    " 

the  stewdcats  wood  charge  us  he  wood  not  run  a 
bit  but  wood  jest  stand  and  plug  and  once  when 
Clifford  tride  to  put  him  over  he  coodent  do  it.  it 
was  a  buly  fite. 

Feb.  23.  Brite  and  fair.  Gosh  what  do  you 
think  i  am  going  to  get  a  prise  in  school,  last 
nite  i  had  to  go  down  to  old  Tom  Connors  store 
to  get  some  carosene  and  old  Francis  was  going 
down  town  with  Perry  Molton  and  they  was  talk- 
ing about  who  was  the  best  fellers  in  school  and 
who  they  was  going  to  give  the  prises,  i  lissened 
and  old  Francis  said  Potter  and  Nipper  and  Pri- 
cilla  was  going  to  have  prises,  only  he  dident  call 
them  Potter  and  Nipper  and  Pricilla,  but  Arthur 
and  Jonny  and  Charlie,  then  he  said  they  is  one 
boy  who  is  as  smart  as  enny  of  them  only  he  dont 
study  much  and  i  had  to  shake  him  up  laitly  and 
he  is  doing  better  now,  then  Perry  he  said  who  is 
it,  and  old  Francis  said  i  gess  i  wont  tell  you  his 
name  for  he  may  disapoint  me,  but  he  lives  on 

65 


"    S        e        q        11        i        1    " 

Court  Street,  i  tell  you  it  made  me  feel  all  trem- 
ly.  it  coodent  be  Pewt  or  Beany  becaus  they 
miss  there  lesons  most  every  day  and  they  aint 
enny  other  fellers  living  on  Court  Street  so  it 
must  be  me,  becaus  old  Francis  shook  me  and 
Medo  Thirsten  up  day  before  yesterday  and  Medo 
lives  on  South  Street.  Gosh  wont  father  be  sir- 
prized  i  nearly  got  a  prise  once  when  Fliperty 
Flannygan  marked  my  words  all  rite  and  i  wood 
have  got  it  if  it  hadent  been  for  Gimmy  Fitsger- 
ald.  but  this  time  i  am  going  to  get  it.  i  bet  the 
folks  will  think  i  am  quite  a  feller. 

Feb.  24.  Brite  and  fair,  i  dident  miss  in 
school  today,  tonite  i  staid  in  and  studied.  Pewt 
and  Beany  come  round  and  were  mad  becaus  i 
woodent  come  out. 

Feb.  25.  Rany.  i  got  9  xamples  rite  today  out 
of  1 0_,  but  i  missed  in  speling.  it  aint  6ften  i  miss 
in  speling. 


66 


"    S        e        q        11        i        I    " 

Feb.  26.  i  took  a  book  today  to  church  and 
studied. 

Feb.  27.  Rany  again,  i  dident  miss  in  enny- 
thing  today,  i  told  mother  today  that  i  was  going 
to  get  a  prise  if  i  dident  disapoint  him.  so  she 
told  father  tonite  and  he  said  he  dident  beleive  it. 
he  said  he  had  nearly  a  buchel  of  prises  he  got  in 
school  and  he  give  them  to  the  fellers  to  ware  in 
a  torchlite  percession  and  they  kept  them,  he 
said  he  give  all  his  prise  books  to  the  Sunday 
school,  he  said  when  he  put  on  all  his  meddles 
and  walked  out  they  gingled  jest  like  slaybells 
and  glitered  so  they  scart  horses,  aunt  Sarah 
laffed  and  said  the  only  prises  he  wore  were  black 
and  blew  ruler  marks  that  old  mister  Ellis  give 
him  and  he  got  enuf  of  them  to,  and  she  said  tell 
Harry  what  you  left  the  Academy  for,  and  he 
said  the  teachers  were  down  on  him  becaus  he 
lerned  faster  than  they  cood  teech,  and  aunt 
Sarah  said  Doctor  Sole  wood  tell  a  diferent  story, 

67 


"    S        e        q       u       i       1    " 

and  father  said  that  Doctor  Sole  was  a  wirthy 
man  but  he  dident  forgive  ennyone  which  was 
smarter  than  he  was.  then  father  said  you  talk 
very  strangly  Sarah  for  one  of  your  years  and  i 
shall  ask  the  Coart  to  apoint  me  as  gardeen  over 
you  as  a  person  of  unsound  mind,  then  father 
said  he  had  never  told  ennyone  why  he  left  the 
Academy  so  suddin,  but  it  was  becaus  he  broak 
his  jaw  in  3  places  talking  Greke  to  Doctor  Sole, 
well  he  kept  us  laffing  all  the  evening  and  when 
i  went  to  bed  he  give  me  10  cents  so  i  gess  he 
feels  prety  good  about  my  prise. 

Feb.  28.  clowdy  but  no  rane.  i  only  missed  in 
Geogerfy  today.  Aunt  Sarah  is  going  to  exibision 
day  to  see  me  get  my  prise.  Keene  and  Cele  are 
going  two.  i  dont  dass  to  tell  Beany,  he  come 
over  tonite  to  get  me  to  come  out  and  see  him  set 
his  dog  onto  Mister  Heads  cat  and  was  mad  when 
i  told  him  i  had  got  to  study.  Beany  he  says  i  will 
get  so  i  cant  fite  or  have  enny  fun  i  am  geting  so 
68 


■*    S        e        a       u 


99 


good.  Beany  will  get  a  good  punch  if  he  says 
much. 

Mar.  1,  186—  brite  and  fair,  father  is  going 
to  the  school  exibision. 

Mar.  2.  Brite  and  fair,  tonite  father  lerned 
me  a  speach  to  say  when  old  Francis  gives  me  the 
prise,  i  dont  want  to  say  it  but  he  says  i  have  got 
to.  this  is  my  speach.  Mister  Francis  i  thank  you 
very  kindly  for  this  beautiful  present,  whitch  i 
value  for  the  honor  whitch  has  been  confered  on 
me,  and  i  trust  that  i  shall  so  conduck  myself  that 
you  may  never  regret  it. 

Mar.  3.  Brite  and  fair,  tomorow  is  exibision 
day.  today  we  rehersed.  Pricilla  sung  pulling 
hard  agenst  the  streem  and  played  the  organ. 
Potter  read  a  composition  and  Nipper  xplaned  the 
sum  about  the  hundred  geese  the  one  i  never 
cood  do.  Good  morow  farmer  with  your  hundred 
geese  sir  i  have  not  a  hundred  but  if  i  had  as 
many  more  and  half  as  many  more  and  2  J  geese  i 

69 


"    S       e       q        u       i        1    •» 

shood  have  a  hundred,  how  many  geese  had  he. 
well  Nipper  can  do  that  sum  and  so  he  has  got  to 
show  of.  i  havent  got  to  do  ennything  xcept 
to  say  my  speach  when  old  Francis  gives  me 
my  prise,  whitch  is  prety  good  for  me. 

Mar.  4.  Brite  and  fair,  i  am  not  fealing  very 
well  tonite.  father  dident  go  to  boston  this  morn- 
ing but  staid  to  home,  this  morning  in  school  we 
rehersed  for  xibision.  Pricilla  sung  and  plaid  and 
Nipper  rote  down  the  geese  sum  on  the  black- 
board and  rote  his  name  under  it  jest  as  good  as 
he  cood.  i  wanted  to  rite  Nipper  under  it  but 
old  Francis  wood  paist  time  out  of  me  if  he  found 
out  who  rote  it.  you  aught  to  hear  Pricil  play  and 
sing,  he  sings  do  your  best  for  one  another  mak- 
ing life  a  plesent  dream,  help  a  poor  and  weried 
brother  puling  hard  agenst  the  streem,  and  the 
old  organ  goes  boom  ya,  boom  ya,  boom  ya  ya  ya, 
that  is  a  prety  song  for  a  feller  to  sing  whitch 
never  will  give  the  fellers  the  core  of  his  apple 
70 


"    S       e       4       n       i       1    " 

but  always  eats  it  hisself.  well  this  afternoon  i 
put  on  my  best  close  and  my  plad  neckti  and  a 
new  paper  coller  and  went  to  school  erly.  prety 
soon  the  people  begun  to  come  in.  they  was  old 
Perry  Molton  and  old  Nat  Shute  and  Gewett 
Swazie  the  committy,  and  old  Bil  Morrill  with 
his  hair  curled  under  behind  and  Chick  Chicker- 
ings  father  and  mother  and  docter  Goranr,  Nip- 
pers father  and  mother  and  Pricillas  father  and 
mother  and  lots  of  people  and  i  thought  father 
wasent  coming  but  bimeby  he  come  in  with  his 
new  britches  that  he  made  Erl  and  Cutts  give  him 
and  his  boots  blacked  and  aunt  Sarah  and  Keene 
and  Cele.  Aunt  Sarah  had  got  her  best  earings 
and  her  dolman  with  beeds  and  Keene  and  Cele 
had  on  their  bronze  boots  and  there  plad  dresses 
and  they  got  a  seet  on  the  platform.  Keene  and 
Cele  felt  prety  big  becaus  they  was  in  the  seminary 
and  Aunt  Sarah  felt  prety  big  becaus  she  had  on 
her  earings  and  her  dolman  and  father  felt  prety 

71 


"    S        e        q       n        i        1    " 

big  becaus  i  was  going  to  get  a  prise,  well  first 
old  Francis  said  a  prayer  and  everyone  bowed 
there  heads  and  father  bowed  his  two  but  i  saw 
him  peek  out  under  his  hand,  well  then  we 
all  sung  and  Mary  Emery  plaid  the  organ,  then 
our  class  resited  and  Nipper  xplained  his  sum 
about  the  geese  and  then  Potter  spoke  a  peace 
and  then  Pricilla  plaid  and  sung  his  peace, 
then  there  was  a  dialog  and  then  we  sung  sum 
more,  then  old  Francis  opened  his  desk  and  took 
out  a  little  riting  desk  and  said  it  had  been  prety 
hard  to  tell  whitch  was  the  best  scolar  becaus 
they  was  3  boys  who  were  so  near  together,  so 
he  would  give  the  riting  desk  to  Arthur  Go- 
ram  and  the  glass  inkstand  to  Johnny  Brown  and 
the  stamp  colecters  book  to  Charly  Hobbs.  so 
when  he  give  them  Potter  and  Nipper  and  Pricilla 
stood  up  and  bowd  and  said  thank  you.  if  they 
had  been  so  smart  they  aught  to  have  a  speach 
ready,  ennyway  i  had  my  speach  all  ready. 
72 


"    S       e        q        u       i        I    " 

then  old  Francis  said  there  was  one  boy  who 
had  grate  talents  and  was  a  very  brite  boy  but 
owing  to  his  fondness  for  play  had  not  done  as  well 
as  he  shood.  but  he  had  showed  such  talent  that 
he  aught  to  be  menshioned  espesially  as  he  had 
been  studying  much  better  laitly.  when  old 
Francis  said  that  aunt  Sarah  and  Keene  and  Cele 
set  up  strate  and  father  tride  to  look  as  if  he 
dident  know  who  he  meant  and  i  said  my  speach 
over  soft,  to  be  sure  i  had  it  rite,  then  old 
Francis  said  i  have  selected  as  a  present  for 
this  boy  a  book,  and  the  name  of  this  boy  is,  and 
then  he  stoped  a  moment  and  i  cood  almost  hear 
my  heart  thumping,  and  then  he  said  Johnny 
Chickering.  Gosh  i  had  forgotten  all  about  Chick 
Chickering  living  on  Coart  Street,  when  he  said 
that  aunt  Sarah  and  Keene  and  Cele  sat  rite  back 
in  there  chairs  and  father  turned  auful  red  and 
looked  at  me  as  if  he  wanted  to  nock  my  head  rite 
of  and  then  he  droped  his  hat  on  the  floor  and  it 

73 


"    S       e       a       u 


** 


fell  of  the  platform  and  roled  way  out  under 
Medo  Thirstons  seet  and  then  he  blew  his  nose 
with  a  auful  toot,  then  old  Francis  give  Chick 
the  book  and  then  he  read  the  names  of  the  1 0 
next  best  scolars  and  my  name  wasent  there 
eether.  and  then  father  looked  mad  enuf  to  bust, 
and  Aunt  Sarah  and  Keene  and  Cele  looked 
prety  sick,  then  we  all  sung  happy  school  Ah 
from  the  never  shall  our  hearts  long  time  be  turn- 
ing, and  then  school  was  dismissed,  docter  Go- 
ram  and  Nippers  father  and  mother  and  Pricillas 
father  and  mother  and  Chicks  father  and  mother 
and  lots  of  the  people  staid  to  shake  hands  with 
old  Francis,  but  father  marched  rite  out  and  Aunt 
Sarah  and  the  girls  two.  well  when  i  got  home 
you  aught  to  have  heard  father,  he  said  i  was  the 
laziest  and  most  wirthless  boy  there  ever  was,  and 
i  was  a  disgrace  to  him  and  he  sent  me  to  bed 
lively,  i  dident  want  the  old  book  ennyway. 
Mar.  5.  Church  today,  i  dont  care. 
74 


"    S        e        q       u       i        I    " 

Mar.  6.  Brite  and  fair.  Chick  feals  prety  big 
about  his  old  book.  Ed  Tole  has  got  a  new  game 
rooster,  we  are  going  to  throw  him  over  in  John 
Adams  yard  the  first  time  John  lets  his  bolton 
gray  out.  i  rode  on  the  hack  today  all  the  morn- 
ing, it  is  more  fan  then  geting  good  marks 
in  school,  ennyway  it  is  vacation  and  i  am  going 
to  raise  time,    i  dont  care  for  a  old  prise  ennyway. 

Mar.  7-  Brite  and  fair,  i  broak  a  window 
today  on  purpose,  i  dont  care. 

Mar.  8.  Brite  and  fair,  got  sent  to  bed  tonite 
for  swearing,  all  i  said  was  gol  darn  it.  father 
needent  feel  so  big.  i  have  herd  him  say  wirse 
things  than  that,    i  dont  care. 

Mar.  9-  clowdy  but  no  rane.  i  dont  care  if  i 
dident  get  no  prise.  Chick  needent  feel  so  big.  i 
woodent  take  his  old  book  ennyway. 

Mar.  10.  brite  and  fair,  i  got  fiting  with 
Beany  today  in  his  yard,  he  chased  me  over  to 
my  yard  and  i  turned  round  suddin  and  stuck  out 

75 


"     S        e        q        u        i        I 


99 


my  arm  and  my  fist  hit  Beany  rite  in  the  eye. 
you  had  aught  to  herd  him  howl,  then  mother 
called  me  in  and  sent  me  to  bed.  it  is  prety  tuf 
when  a  feller  cant  hit  another  feller  in  the  eye 
whitch  is  chasing  him.  well  ennyway  i  stamped 
upstairs  to  bed  and  when  father  came  home  i 
knew  i  shood  get  a  licking,  so  when  father  came 
home  i  lissened  and  herd  them  eating  super,  and 
i  herd  father  say  where  is  that  boy  and  mother 
said  i  sent  him  to  bed  for  striking  Elly  Watson. 
Elly  is  Beany  you  know,  and  father  said  whitch 
licked,  and  mother  said  Elly  was  crying  very 
loud  and  holding  on  to  his  eye,  and  so  i  sent 
Harry  to  bed  and  father  said  if  he  dident  do 
ennything  wirse  than  licking  that  Watson  boy 
i  wont  complane  and  if  he  will  get  up  spunk  enuf 
to  lick  that  boy  of  Brad  Puringtons,  he  ment 
Pewt,  i  will  give  him  a  treet.  then  mother  said  i 
dont  know  what  is  the  matter  with  Harry  this 
vacation,     he    is    cross    and    impident,  and  then 

76 


"    S       e        q       u       i        1    " 

Keene  said  i  slaped  her  face  yesterday  and  Cele 
told  Keene  it  was  her  fait  and  she  hadent  aught 
to  have  plaged  me,  and  Keene  said  she  dident 
and  Cele  said  she  did  and  father  said  you  girls 
shet  up  when  your  mother  is  talking,  then  some- 
one shet  the  door  and  i  dident  hear  enny  more, 
after  super  Cele  come  up  in  my  room  with  a  tray 
with  my  super  and  i  set  up  in  bed  and  et  my 
super  and  Keene  looked  into  the  room  and  made 
up  a  face,  after  super  i  heard  father  talking  again 
and  he  said  i  needed  a  good  licking  and  mother 
said  something  was  the  matter  with  me  and  she 
never  knew  me  to  keep  cross  for  a  hole  week, 
and  father  said  he  wood  take  it  out  of  me  in  2 
minits  and  mother  said  no  she  wood  talk  to  me. 
So  bimeby  mother  come  up  and  i  made  beleeve  i 
was  asleep  and  mother  set  down  by  the  bed  and 
said  are  you  asleep  Harry,  and  i  said  yes  before  i 
thought,  and  then  she  sorter  laffed  and  began  to 
talk  to  me  and  told  me  how  sory  it  made  her  feel 

77 


u        i        1 


5? 


to  see  me  so  cross  and  doing  bad  things  and  she 
wanted  me  to  be  better  and  not  wurry  her  for 
she  dident  feel  very  well  and  gosh  before  i  knew 
it  i  was  balling  rite  out.  well  i  balled  good  and 
she  rubed  my  head  and  got  me  a  drink  of  water 
and  i  said  i  wood  do  beter.  then  she  kissed  me 
and  went  down  and  after  a  while  i  went  to  sleep, 
gosh  i  maid  up  my  mind  if  father  licked  me  that 
i  woodent  ball  and  i  wood  do  something  auful  the 
next  day,  i  wont  say  what  it  was  but  it  was 
something  auful.  i  have  been  a  prety  mean  feller. 
Mar.  11,  186-  when  i  got  up  this  morning  i 
felt  buly,  and  i  got  a  pail  of  water  and  brogt  in 
wood  enuf  to  fill  the  woodbox  way  over  the  top. 
it  is  warm  and  the  snow  is  all  gone  xcept  in  the 
corners  where  the  drifts  were,  i  saw  a  robin 
today  and  i  wished  on  it  but  i  cant  tell  what  i 
wished  becaus  if  i  did  it  woodent  come  true,  it  is 
something  i  have  been  wanting  auful  for  a  long 
time,  but  i  havent  had  money  enuf  to  buy  it. 


"    S       e        q        u 


99 


Mar.  12.  rany.  i  went  to  church,  the  minister 
said  it  was  esy  to  be  good  if  you  tride.  i  gess 
ministers  dont  know  much  ennyway. 

Mar.  1 3.  me  and  Beany  is  going  to  keep  store 
in  my  shed,  today  we  made  the  counter  of  2 
barils  and  a  board  and  we  made  a  lot  of  flyboxes 
and  Jacobs  laders  and  tonite  we  made  a  lot  of 
sweet  firn  cigars,  and  hayseed  and  mulen  leaf  and 
cornsilk.  this  afternoon  we  went  out  picking  up 
bones  in  a  baskit.  most  every  yard  had  a  lot  of 
bones  in  it  xcept  where  the  fellers  had  been,  we 
got  most  a  buchel.  we  get  half  a  cent  a  pound  for 
them  down  to  old  Gechels  store  they  make  nife 
handels  of  them  and  perl  buttons. 

Mar.  14.  Beany  got  mad  today  and  says  he 
wont  keep  store  with  me.  we  got  our  flyboxes  all 
pined  up  and  our  boxes  of  cigars  all  ready  and 
mother  said  she  wood  give  me  some  molases  for 
sweatened  water,  so  we  was  all  ready  when 
Beany  got  mad  about  the  sine,    he  wanted  it  to 

79 


"     S        e        «        11        i        I 


** 


be  Watson  and  Shute  becaus  he  is  older  then  me, 
but  it  was  my  shed  and  my  sweatened  water  and 
my  board  and  my  barils  and  so  i  said  my  name 
shood  come  ferst  and  he  got  mad  and  took  half  of 
the  things  and  went  home,  i  dident  let  him  have 
a  bit  of  the  sweatened  water.  Lucy  Watson  was 
mad  two  and  woodent  speek  to  Keene  and  Cele. 

Mar.  15,  186-  i  opened  my  store  today  and 
nailed  up  my  sine  fancy  goods  and  sweatened 
water  H.  Shute.  Potter  and  Whack  and  Fatty 
and  Boog  and  Puzzy  and  all  the  fellers  come 
round  and  i  sold  lots  of  stuff,  i  charge  10  nails 
for  a  sweet  firn  cigar,  5  nails  for  a  rattan  or  grape 
vine  cigar  and  3  nails  for  hayseed  cornsilk  and 
mullen  leaf.  3  nails  for  white  Jacobs  ladders  and 
5  for  gilt,  10  nails  for  flyboxes  made  of  writing 
book  paper,  and  15  and  20  nails  for  gilt  and  sil- 
ver and  red  paper.  1 5  nails  for  snappers  that  will 
snap  good,  and  15  nails  for  a  glass  of  sweatened 
water,  i  had  a  big  trade  and  i  cood  see  Beany 
80 


"    S       e       a       u       i       I 


99 


out  in  frunt  of  his  house  looking  over,  bimeby 
he  came  over  and  i  said  hullo  Beany  come  and 
have  a  drink  and  a  cigar,  so  Beany  he  took  a 
glass  and  drunk  it  and  lit  a  cigar.,  a  sweet  firn  one 
and  said  how  is  trade,  and  i  said  they  is  quite  a 
little  stiring,  and  he  said  have  you  got  mutch 
stock  and  i  said  most  sold  out  but  they  is  plenty 
more  where  that  come  from  and  Beany  he  said 
dont  you  want  to  by  my  stuff  and  i  said  no  i  gess 
not.  bimeby  Beany  he  said  less  make  up  Plupy 
and  i  said  i  aint  mad  and  Beany  he  said  well  let 
the  old  sine  rip  and  so  he  went  over  and  got  his 
stuff  and  pinned  it  up  and  we  had  a  good  trade 
all  the  afternoon,  tonite  we  made  cigars  and  fly- 
boxes  and  snappers.  Beany  is  a  prety  good  feller 
to  have  a  store  with  only  he  smokes  and  drinks 
two  mutch. 

Mar.  16.  Brite  and  fair,  i  saw  a  blewbird  to- 
day. Beany  come  over  erly  and  we  had  a  good 
trade.    Beany  smoked  so  many  sweet  firn  cigars 

81 


"    8       e        q        n        i        I    " 

and  drank  so  mutch  sweatened  water  that  i  told 
him  he  coodent  be  my  pardner  unless  he  smoked 
cheeper  cigars  and  only  drank  4  glasses  a  day. 
2  in  the  morning  and  2  in  the  evening,  that  is 
enuf  for  enny  man. 

Mar.  1 7.  Rany  today,  not  mutch  trade.  Pewt 
and  Nipper  has  got  a  store  in  Pewts  shed.  Tom- 
tit says  he  has  got  beter  things  than  we  have  and 
he  got  all  the  fellers  to  go  up  there.  Tomtit  was 
mad  becaus  we  woodent  take  sheet  iron  for  pay. 
you  cant  get  ennything  for  sheet  iron  down  to 
old  Getchels  and  if  we  took  it  for  pay  enny  feller 
cood  go  out  and  pick  up  a  old  stove  pipe  and  buy 
out  your  store. 

Mar.  18.  brite  and  fair,  no  i  mean  it  is  clowdy. 
Beany  is  acting  prety  queer,  he  has  been  talking 
with  Pewt,  and  last  nite  he  promised  to  come 
over  and  make  cigars  and  he  dident  come  and 
Nipper  said  Beany  was  over  to  Pewts.  today  he 
was  prety  sassy  and  said  he  would  drink  all  the 
82 


"    S       e       a       u       i       I    " 


sweatened  water  he  wanted,  he  was  away  all  the 
afternoon. 

Mar.  19.  Beany  dident  make  up  enny  faces 
behind  the  organ  today,  after  church  i  holered  at 
him  and  he  woodent  look  round,  i  bet  he  is  go- 
ing to  keep  store  with  Pewt.    i  dont  care. 

Mar.  20.  Beany  came  over  this  morning  and 
said  he  was  going  to  be  pardner  with  Pewt  and 
he  wanted  his  stuff  and  his  half  of  the  iron  and 
nails.  I  told  him  he  was  a  mean  cuss  and  he  said 
he  woodent  be  pardner  with  a  feller  whitch 
woodent  let  him  drink  and  smoke  out  of  the 
store,  he  said  Pewt  wasent  so  mean  as  all  that, 
so  we  divided  the  stuff  and  Beany  wanted  half  of 
what  nails  and  iron  i  had  taken  before  we  were 
pardners.  he  dident  get  it  you  bet,  and  he  did- 
ent get  enny  sweatened  water  neether. 

Mar.  21.  brite  and  fair.  Medo  Thirsten  came 
up  today  and  wanted  to  buy  my  stuff  and  i  sold  it 
all  to  him.    i  am  glad  to  get  out  of  the  store  so  i 

83 


"    S       e        q        u       i        1    " 

can  go  of  with  Potter  and  Chick  Chickering.  we 
went  up  to  the  Eddy  today,  we  saw  some  black- 
birds and  some  robins  and  3  blewbirds,  and  got 
2  last  years  nests,  it  is  almost  time  for  flying 
squerels.    we  saw  a  redder  today. 

Mar.  22.  I  saw  Beany  today  and  he  run  out 
his  tung  at  me.    all  rite  for  you  Beany. 

Mar.  23.  it  raned  and  was  auful  windy  today, 
i  sold  my  iron  and  bones  today  to  old  Getchel  for 
42  cents,  i  took  out  12  cents  to  treet  the  fellers 
and  put  30  cents  with  my  cornet  money. 

Mar.  24.  it  was  warm  today  and  fine.  I  saw 
some  wild  geese  flying  over  today,  it  made  me 
feel  funny  to  hear  them  holler,  me  and  Potter 
and  Chick  went  out  in  the  woods  today  with  our 
bows  and  arrows  and  bilt  a  fire  and  fride  some 
potatose. 

Mar.  25.  this  is  the  last  day  of  vacation. 
Beany  and  Pewt  have  had  a  auful  row,  Beany  says 
Pewt  sold  all  the  iron  and  nails  and  kept  most  of 
84 


"    §       e       a       u 


** 


the  money.  Pewt  says  Beany  drank  up  more 
then  the  moneys  wirth  of  sweatened  water  and 
smoked  all  the  best  cigars  i  am  glad  of  it.  i  gess 
the  next  time  Beany  will  know  more. 

Mar.  26.  Sunday,  nothing  to  do  but  go  to 
church  and  think  of  going  to  school  tomorow. 
i  wonder  if  i  shall  get  a  licking  this  tirm 

Mar.  27.  i  went  to  school  today,  they  isent 
much  fun  now.  it  is  two  muddy  to  play  enny- 
thing.  so  the  fellers  all  have  clappers  and  we 
clap  all  the  time.  Skinny  Bruce  is  the  best  one. 
he  has  some  bone  clappers  that  jest  ring.  Fatty 
Gilman  has  got  some  made  of  black  walnut. 

Mar.  28.  we  plaid  ball  a  little  today,  it  is  get- 
ing  prety  dry  in  the  school  yard  now. 

Mar.  29.  it  snowed  a  little  today  and  then 
melted,  they  wasent  enuf  for  snow  balling,  my 
hens  has  begun  to  lay. 

Mar.  30.  the  top  of  my  roosters  comb  whitch 
was  frose  last  winter  when  i  was  sick  has  come  of 

85 


"    S       e       a       u       i       1    •• 


and  his  comb  is  all  smooth  and  shiny  and  hasent 
got  enny  picks  on  it. 

Mar.  31.  brite  and  fair  tomorow  is  april  fool 
day.    i  am  going  to  get  one  on  Beany. 

Apr.  1.  today  i  had  a  good  one  to  get  on 
Beany,  i  rung  the  doorbell  of  our  house  and 
mother  came  to  the  door  and  i  stood  there  laffin 
and  she  laffed  and  said  i  am  glad  to  see  you  sir 
because  i  want  you  to  fill  the  woodbox  and  get 
me  5  pails  of  water,  gosh  i  dident  think  it  was  so 
funny,  at  school  old  Francis  woodent  let  us  play 
april  fools  on  each  other  but  in  the  afternoon  i 
went  over  to  get  Beany  to  come  with  me  to  get  a 
4  foot  yardstick  down  to  Lyfords.  i  was  going  to 
get  Beany  to  ask  for  it  and  then  they  wood  lam 
him,  becaus  they  isent  enny  4  foot  yardstick. 
i  jest  laffed  to  think  of  Beany  getting  licked, 
well  when  i  asked  Beany  he  said  he  wood  go 
only  his  father  wanted  him  to  go  down  to  old 
Kellogs  harness  shop  to  get  a  pint  of  strap  oil  to 
86 


"    S        e        a       u       i        1 


9* 


oil  some  harnes,  and  if  i  wood  go  with  him  ferst 
he  would  go  with  me.  so  i  said  yes  and  we  went, 
jest  before  we  got  there  Beany  said  you  go  in  and 
ask  for  it,  and  i  will  wait  becaus  old  Kellog  dont 
like  me  very  well,  so  i  went  in  and  old  Kellog 
was  sitting  straddle  of  a  seet  with  big  wooden 
nippers  on  it  and  he  was  sowing  on  a  harness 
and  he  said  cross  like  what  do  you  want  and  i 
said  i  want  a  pint  of  strap  oil  and  he  said  o  yes  i 
have  got  some  good  strap  oil  and  he  got  down 
and  grabed  me  by  the  coller  and  took  down  a 
strap  and  licked  me  till  i  hollered,  then  he  let 
me  go  and  when  i  went  out  rubing  my  legs 
Beany  was  jest  laffing  fit  to  die  and  he  said  you 
thought  you  was  prety  smart  old  Plupy  to  get  me 
to  go  down  for  a  4  foot  yard  stick  dident  you. 
and  then  he  ran  his  tung  out  and  run  of  down 
town,    i  will  pay  Beany  for  that. 

Apr.  2.    brite  and  fair,    i  went  to  church. 

Apr.  3.    Father  is  going  to  have  a  garden  and  i 

87 


«     S        e        q        «       i        1    " 

have  got  to  dig  it  up.  Father  says  he  is  going  to 
help  me  but  i  know  how  it  will  be.  he  will  dig 
about  ten  minits  and  then  he  will  go  over  to  see 
Beanys  father,  i  dont  see  why  it  is  that  jest  as 
soon  as  it  is  time  for  fishing  father  wants  to  make 
me  wirk.    Pewt  cought  3  pirch  today. 

Apr.  4.  Brite  and  fair,  last  nite  we  went  dig- 
ing  up  the  garden,  father  began  to  dig  and  dug 
about  a  minit  and  then  he  stoped  and  went  in 
the  house  to  change  his  shues,  and  then  he  come 
out  and  took  of  his  coat  and  then  he  dug  a  nother 
minit  and  then  he  went  to  the  fence  and  talked 
with  Sam  Dire  and  then  he  took  of  his  vest  and 
took  up  his  spade  and  then  he  said  i  was  doing 
splendid  and  he  wanted  to  see  Wats  a  minit  and 
he  went  over  to  see  Beanys  father  jest  as  i  said  he 
wood  and  dident  come  back,  well  i  dug  until 
mother  called  me  in  to  go  to  bed  and  i  got  about 
a  pan  full  of  wirms.  tonite  me  and  father  are  go- 
ing to  dig  some  more,  my  back  is  lame. 
88 


"    S       e        4        n       i        1    " 

Apr.  5.  Brite  and  fair,  last  nite  father  told  me 
to  cut  the  eyes  out  of  a  lot  of  potatose  to  plant, 
so  this  noon  and  after  school  me  and  Keene  and 
Cele  cut  out  the  eyes  of  the  potatose.  we  raced 
to  see  which  wood  beet,  i  had  a  sharp  spoon 
handel,  Keene  a  darning  needle,  and  Cele  a  pen- 
nife.  we  had  3  cups  to  put  the  eyes  in  and  when 
we  got  the  eyes  all  dug  out  we  counted  the  eyes. 
Cele  had  176  Keene  158  and  i  had  143.  jest  as 
we  got  done  father  came  home,  so  we  showed 
him  the  eyes  and  i  wish  you  cood  see  him.  i 
woodent  dare  to  wright  what  he  said,  if  i  talked 
like  he  did  he  wood  have  sent  me  to  bed  for  a 
year,  i  gess  he  wood  have  licked  us  all  but 
mother  laffed  and  laffed  and  said  we  dident  know 
enuf  about  farming,    so  we  only  got  sent  to  bed. 

Apr.  6.  brite  and  fair,  i  hoped  it  wood  rane 
today  so  we  coodent  dig.  but  it  dident.  if  they 
had  been  a  circus  it  wood  have  raned  like  time. 
last  nite  we  dug  some  more,    father  started  all 

89 


"    S       e       o       n       i       1    " 


rite  but  jest  then  he  said  he  had  got  to  go  down 
town  with  mother,  so  i  dug  until  Beany  and 
Pewt  came  over  and  then  we  begun  to  plug 
peaces  of  dirt  at  Charly  Dire  and  after  a  while 
somebody  broke  a  window  in  Sam  Dires  house. 
Pewt  said  it  was  me  and  Beany  said  it  was  Pewt. 
father  came  home  and  sent  me  to  bed.  he  give 
Sam  Dire  25  cents  for  the  window,  ennyway 
Pewt  broke  it. 

Apr.   7.    brite  and  fair. 

Apr.  8,  186-  it  raned  today,  i  am  glad 
of  it. 

Apr.  9-  it  raned  today,  i  am  glad  of  it.  i 
went  to  church. 

Apr.  10.  tonite  me  and  Beany  and  Whack 
finished  diging  all  the  rest  of  the  garden,  when 
father  came  home  he  went  out  and  steped  on  a 
rake  that  was  lying  down  with  the  sharp  points 
up  and  ran  it  into  his  foot  and  he  came  limping 
into  the  house  swaring  auful,  but  he  wasent  much 
90 


"Sean 


99 


hurt  and  isent  going  to  have  enny  garden,  enny- 
way  he  left  the  rake  there  himself. 

Apr.  11,  186-  Brite  and  fair,  father  is  going 
to  have  some  geese,  he  went  to  Dal  Gilmors  and 
Dal  said  you  cood  keep  geese  for  nothing  becaus 
all  they  et  was  grass  and  father  says  he  can  raise 
geese  on  grass  until  October  and  then  kill  them 
and  sell  them  and  make  lots  of  money,  ennyway 
they  was  grass  enuf  becaus  we  want  going  to  have 
enny  garden  since  father  steped  on  the  rake. 
Dal  Gilmor  has  got  a  old  goose  whitch  is  more 
then  30  years  old.    i  bet  he  is  tuf. 

Apr.  12.  Brite  and  fair,  father  came  home 
tonite  erly  and  we  begun  to  make  a  geese  pond, 
we  took  a  baril  and  cut  it  in  2  and  made  2  tubs, 
then  we  dug  a  hole  in  the  garden  and  put  in  1 
tub  and  filled  it  with  water,  it  made  a  buly 
pond,  next  saterday  father  is  coming  home  erly 
and  we  are  going  to  hampton  falls  to  get  sum 
geese  eggs. 

91 


6fc 


S       e       a       n       i       I    ♦» 


Apr.  13.  Rany  Franky  fell  out  of  bed  last 
nite.  father  said  it  was  my  fait,  the  baby  had 
the  crupe.  father  says  something  is  always  the 
matter. 

Apr.  14.  clowdy  but  no  rane.  beany  has  got  a 
dog,  it  is  black  and  tan,  not  2  dogs  but  jest  1. 
his  name  is  Gip  and  he  can  fite. 

Apr.  15.  still  clowdy.  Frank  Hanes  has  got 
a  dog  like  Beanys.  his  name  is  Dime,  i  bet 
he  can  fite. 

Apr.  16.  brite  and  fair,  i  put  some  minnies 
in  the  geese  pond  today,  it  was  after  church 
and  i  got  them  yesterday,  they  wood  have  dide 
in  the  tin  pail,  so  it  wasent  rong  to  put  them 
in  Sunday,  tomorow  we  are  going  down  to  get 
the  geese  eggs. 

Apr.   1 7.    brite  and  fair,   i  am  wrighting  this  in 

bed.    it  has  been  a  prety  tuf  day  i  tell  you.  father 

coodent  come  home  erly  becaus  he  had  to  wirk, 

so  he  give  me  fifty  cents  and  me  and  Beany  went 

92 


"    S        e        a        u 


** 


down  to  hampton  falls  after  the  geese  eggs,  well 
we  got  them  and  started  home,  we  had  Beanys 
fathers  horse  and  we  saw  a  old  black  horse  by  the 
side  of  the  road  and  Beany  said  i  wood  like  to 
plug  him  with  a  geese  egg,  i  said  praps  they  is  a 
roten  egg  there,  so  we  shook  the  eggs  till  by  and 
by  they  was  one  whitch  ratled.  then  Beany  choze 
to  plug  him  and  he  let  ding  at  him  and  the  egg 
hit  him  a  paister  rite  in  the  side  and  broak 
and  spatered  him  all  over  with  yellow,  and  he 
kicked  up  and  ran  away  before  i  cood  get  a  nother 
egg.  then  we  went  on  till  we  saw  2  cows  and  we 
shook  the  eggs  again  till  we  got  2  whitch  ratled 
and  when  we  went  by  we  stood  up  in  the  wagon 
and  let  ding  at  the  cows,  i  hit  one  rite  in  the 
frunt  of  her  head  and  the  yellow  ran  down  over 
her  nose  and  Beany  hit  the  other  in  the  side  and 
then  a  man  holered  at  us  and  we  licked  the  horse 
and  drove  of  lively,  then  we  saw  a  cat  sitting  in 
a   barn  door  and  we  both  let  ding   at  her   but 

93 


"    S       e        q       u        i        1    " 

dident  hit  her  and  both  eggs  smached  agenst  the 
barn  and  the  cat  ran  into  the  barn  and  a  man 
came  out  with  a  tin  pail  in  his  hand  and  a  little 
stool  in  the  other  and  holered  at  us  and  we 
licked  up  the  horse  again,  after  that  we  dident 
plug  enny  more  for  they  was  only  7  eggs  left  and 
they  only  ratled  a  little,  when  we  got  home 
Beany  let  me  out  and  i  told  father  about  the 
eggs  being  roten,  he  was  prety  mad  and  said  i  had 
aught  to  have  shook  them  before  i  took  them,  he 
asked  me  what  i  did  with  the  roten  eggs  and  i 
said  i  threw  them  away  and  jest  then  Mister  Wat- 
son  Beanys  father  came  over  with  Beany  and  2 
men  and  it  was  the  same  man  whose  horse  we 
pluged  with  roten  eggs,  and  the  man  who  holered 
at  us  when  we  plugged  the  old  cows,  the  man 
grabed  me  by  the  coller  and  told  father  i  was  the 
wirst  boy  in  the  town  and  if  father  dident  lick  me 
out  of  my  skin  he  wood,  and  father  said  hold 
on  there,  they  aint  nobody  going  to  lick  my  boy 
94 


'*    S        e        q        11        i        1    " 

unless  he  licks  me  ferst,  and  he  walked  up  to  the 
man  prety  quick,  and  the  man  let  go  my  coller  and 
father  said  if  they  is  any  licking  to  be  done  i 
can  do  all  that  is  necesary,  and  the  man  said 
we  are  going  to  have  him  arested,  and  father  said 
what  has  he  done  and  the  man  said  these  two 
boys  have  been  throwing  rocks  at  my  horse  and 
have  cut  a  big  gash  in  his  side  and  he  is  all  over 
blud,  and  the  other  man  said  we  had  been  plug- 
ing  rocks  at  his  cows  and  had  cut  one  on  the  head 
and  one  on  the  side  well  me  and  Beany  said  we 
only  threw  geese  eggs  at  them  and  the  blud  was  the 
runny  part  of  the  eggs  and  we  crossed  our  throtes 
and  hoped  to  die  if  it  wasent  so,  and  father  said 
to  the  man  did  you  xamine  the  gash  and  he  said 
he  was  so  mad  when  he  see  the  horse  that  he 
hitched  up  the  other  horse  and  followed  us  and 
told  his  hired  man  to  look  after  the  horse  and 
brogt  the  other  man  to.  so  father  said  to  Beanys 
father  to  hich  up  his  horse  and  we  wood  go  down 

95 


"    S       e       a       n       i       1 


99 


and  see  if  we  had  lied  to  him  and  he  said  if  i  had 
lied  to  him  he  wood  give  me  the  wirst  licking  i 
ever  had.  well  jest  as  we  were  going  to  get  in  the 
wagon  the  man  whitch  had  the  tin  pail  and  the 
stool  in  his  hand  come  driving  up  and  said  we 
had  been  pluging  roten  eggs  at  his  barn  and 
father  said  he  wood  be  cussed  if  he  ever  saw  such 
boys,  and  me  and  Beany  said  we  dident  mean  to 
hit  the  barn  but  we  pluged  at  the  cat  and  dident 
hit  her.  then  the  other  men  told  him  about  the 
horse  and  cows  and  he  said  it  was  only  roten 
eggs  and  then  they  felt  beter,  and  they  said  they 
was  willing  to  let  us  of  with  a  good  licking,  but 
father  said  he  woodent  lick  me  for  ennybody  else, 
but  he  wood  pay  them  for  their  truble  and  they 
said  they  wood  settle  for  fifty  cents  each  and  i  had 
to  pay  it  out  of  my  cornet  money,  i  only  had  one 
dollar  and  30  cents  but  Aunt  Sarah  give  me  20 
cents,  i  beleive  i  had  rather  got  a  licking  for  it 
will  take  me  6  weaks  to  ern  so  much  money  and  i 
96 


"    S       e        o        n       i        1    " 


wood  have  got  over  a  licking  as  soon  as  i  got 
to  sleep,  then  father  sent  me  to  bed.  i  wonder  if 
Beanys  father  licked  him.    i  shall  know  tomorow. 

Apr.  18.  Brite  and  fair.  Beany  dident  get 
licked. 

Apr.  19.  Brite  and  fair,  i  bet  father  cood 
have  licked  those  3  hampton  falls  men  together 
easy. 

Apr.  20.  Brite  and  fair,  i  shall  never  get  that 
cornet. 

Apr.  21.  i  had  some  fun  today,  they  wasent 
enny  school  today  becaus  old  Francis  had  to  go  to 
a  funeral  or  something,  so  i  bilt  a  nest  for  my 
hens. 

Apr.  22.  Brite  and  fair,  father  aint  going  to 
have  enny  geese,  tonite  we  got  a  old  yellow  hen 
of  Sam  Dire  and  set  her  on  7  eggs  in  the  horse- 
stalj  and  then  we  had  super,  nothing  hapened  at 
super  xcept  that  Keene  got  sent  to  bed  for  sticking 
but   her   tung   at    father  when    she  thought  he 

97 


•*    S       e       q       n       i       I    »» 

wasent  looking  but  he  was,  becaus  he  woodent  let 
her  go  over  to  see  Lucy  Watson  Beanys  sisters 
new  hat.  well  after  it  was  dark  father  said  i 
forgot  to  pay  Sam  for  his  hen  and  he  started  rite 
acros  the  garden  to  go  over  to  Sam  Diars  and  it 
was  dark  and  i  herd  a  auful  splash  and  thumping 
round  and  feerful  swaring  and  i  knew  father  was 
in  the  geese  pond,  i  woodent  dass  to  wright 
down  what  he  said,  if  i  had  said  what  he  did  he 
wood  have  sent  me  to  bed  for  a  year,  well  he 
came  limping  home  and  swaring  into  the  house 
and  he  made  me  get  a  lanten  and  we  went  out 
to  the  barn  and  he  took  the  old  hen  by  her  hind 
legs  and  swung  her  round  jest  as  we  fellers  do 
when  we  plug  apples  on  a  stick  and  pluged  her 
way  over  in  Sam  Diars  yard  and  then  he  took  the 
eggs  and  pluged  them  as  far  as  he  cood  and  told 
me  to  fill  up  the  pond  tomorow  or  he  wood  lick 
me.  then  we  went  in  and  mother  and  aunt  Sarah 
nearly  killed  themselves  laffin  and  father  said  i 
98 


"    S        e        q       u        i        1    " 

spose  you  wood  laff  if  i  killed  myself  and  when  i 
went  up  to  bed  i  laffed  easy  and  Keene  and  Cele 
were  laffing  under  the  bed  close,  bimeby  i  herd 
father  laffin  and  then  we  all  laffed  loud,  jest 
think  i  had  to  pay  a  dollar  and  a  half  of  my 
cornet  money  for  pluging  5  eggs  and  father 
pluged  7  eggs  and  a  old  hen  and  dident  have  to 
pay  ennything,  ennyway  it  was  fun  to  see  him. 

Apr.  23.  Brite  and  fair,  i  filled  up  the  geese 
pond,    it  was  sunday  but  it  was  after  dark. 

Apr.  24.  Brite  and  fair,  when  father  came 
home  i  told  him  i  had  filled  up  the  geese  pond 
and  he  asked  me  where  the  tub  was  and  when  i 
said  i  had  filled  it  up  he  said  i  was  a  loonatic  and 
dident  know  enuf  to  go  in  when  it  raned.  so  he 
made  me  dig  out  the  tub  and  fill  in  the  hole,  i 
tell  you  i  have  to  wirk  prety  hard. 

Apr.  25.  Brite  and  fair,  today  old  man  Thirsten 
Medos  father  came  to  the  house  and  told  mother 
someone    had  pluged    roten    eggs    at    his    barn. 

99 


"    S        e        q        n       i        1    " 

mother  dident  know  what  to  say  for  a  minit  for 
she  dident  want  to  tell  about  fathers  falling  into 
the  geese  pond,  so  she  said  she  was  very  sure  i 
hadent  done  it  but  she  wood  speak  to  father 
about  it,  so  when  father  got  home  old  man 
Thirsten  came  up  to  the  house  and  said  George 
that  cussid  boy  of  yours  has  been  pluging  roten 
eggs  at  my  barn  and  father  said  this  time  Kimball, 
his  name  is  Kimball,  he  dident  do  it  for  he  was 
with  me  all  the  evening  til  he  went  to  bed.  so 
father  and  old  man  Thirsten  went  down  to  see 
the  barn  and  it  was  all  spatered  with  yellow, 
then  old  man  Thirsten  said  he  wood  give  a  dolar 
to  know  who  the  scowndril  was  whitch  pluged 
those  eggs,  and  father  said  i  wish  you  cood  Kim- 
ball, it  is  a  outrage,  and  father  looked  auful  funny, 
jest  as  he  did  when  he  scart  old  Ike  Shute  that 
time  on  the  high  school  steps,  when  we  went 
home  father  kept  laffing,  and  when  he  told 
mother  she  said  it  was  a  shame  and  he  aught  to 
100 


"    S       e        q        n       i        1    »• 

make  it  rite  with  him,  and  so  father  bought  a 
sawhoss  of  him,  he  sells  sawhosses,  and  i  have  got 
to  use  it.    somehow  i  always  get  the  wirst  of  it. 

Apr.  26,  186-  it  raned  like  time  last  nite  but 
it  was  brite  and  fair  when  i  got  up.  what  do  you 
think,  me  and  Beany  are  going  to  by  a  horse  of 
old  Nat  Mason,  he  lives  down  Stratam  road  and 
he  has  a  old  troter  that  can  go  like  time. 

Apr.  27.  brite  and  fair,  me  and  Beany  saw  old 
Nat  today,  we  aint  got  enny  chink,  if  i  hadent 
paid  that  money  to  those  hampton  falls  men  for 
pluging  roten  eggs  at  there  cows  i  should  have 
sum.  all  i  can  rase  is  thirty  five  cents  and  Beany 
can  rase  fifteen  cents.  Fatty  Gilman  most  always 
has  lots  of  chink. 

Apr.  28.  me  and  Beany  saw  Fatty  today,  he 
wants  to  go  in  with  us  becaus  he  says  his  folks 
want  to  use  old  Chub  so  mutch  that  he  dont  get 
enny  chance  to  use  him.  but  Fatty  he  hasent  got 
enny  chink  eether.    enny  way  we  are  going  to  see 

101 


"    $       e       «       u       i       1 


^^ 


old  Nat  tomorrow  and  peraps  he  will  let  us  have 
it  on  tick. 

Apr.  29-  brite  and  fair,  today  was  saterday  and 
this  afternoon  me  and  Beany  and  Fatty  went  down 
to  see  old  Nat.  he  was  in  a  old  house  smoking  a 
old  pipe  made  out  of  a  corn  cob.  so  Fatty  he  asked 
him  to  show  us  his  old  plug,  only  Fatty  dident  say 
old  plug  but  said  Mister  Mason  can  we  see  your 
troting  horse,  and  old  Nat  he  got  up  and  went  to 
a  little  barn  and  opened  the  door  and  holered  get 
up  lady  Clara  and  she  tride  to  get  up  and  coodent, 
and  old  Nat  swoar  and  kicked  her  and  then  she 
coodent  get  up,  and  then  he  clim  over  her  and 
puled  her  head  up  into  the  rack  and  then  he 
took  a  stick  and  hit  her  sum  more  and  swoar  sum 
more  and  then  she  got  up.  then  Beany  he  asked 
old  Nat  what  made  her  not  get  up  and  he  said 
that  troting  horses  most  never  laid  down  more 
than  once  or  twict  a  weak  and  sum  of  the  best 
troters  never  laid  down,  he  said  Dexter  and 
102 


*»    S       e       a       11       i       I    " 


Flora  Tempel  never  was  knowed  to  lay  down, 
then  Fatty  asked  him  to  let  us  see  her  trot  and 
he  hiched  her  into  a  buggy  and  we  set  on  the 
fence  and  old  Nat  he  drove  of  most  walking, 
bimeby  we  herd  the  old  wagon  ratling  and  old 
Nat  he  came  down  the  street  just  nuking.  I 
never  saw  a  horse  go  so  fast,  i  tell  you  old  Nat 
he  had  to  pull  to  stop  her.  she  breethed  prety 
hard  and  jerky,  but  Nat  he  said  it  was  hickups 
becaus  she  had  et  too  mutch.  Fatty  he  asked 
how  old  she  was  and  old  Nat  he  said  she  was 
bout  12  but  that  she  wood  be  good  til  she  was 
30.  Then  we  asked  how  mutch  he  wood  sell  her 
for  and  he  said  he  wanted  5  dolers  for  her  but  he 
wood  let  us  have  her  for  2  dolars  and  fifty  cents 
and  we  could  have  the  wagon  for  2  dolars  and 
fifty  cents  two,  and  he  wood  throw  in  the  harnes. 
but  we  dident  have  the  money  and  so  we  tride  to 
swap  and  bimeby  he  said  if  i  wood  give  him  my 
gun  and  Fatty  wood  give  him  his  silver  pensil 

103 


»*    S        e        q        n        i        I    ♦» 

case  and  Beany  give  him  his  6  bladed  nife  he 
wood  trust  us  for  a  month,  so  we  give  him  the 
things  and  he  give  us  the  horse,  only  we  coodent 
take  her  then  becaus  we  have  got  to  find  a  place 
to  keep  her.  none  of  us  dass  to  tell  our  folks 
about  it.  we  woodent  let  Fatty  know  about  it  if 
we  hadent  suposed  he  had  plenty  of  chink. 

Apr.  30.  brite  and  fair,  after  church  today  we 
went  round  to  see  if  we  cood  get  a  place  to  keep 
our  horse,  we  asked  Noot  Crumet  but  Noot  he  said 
he  dident  have  enny  place  to  put  her  unles  he  give 
her  his  room  and  he  told  us  to  go  to  Bucher  Haly 
and  see  if  we  coodent  get  a  chanse  to  put  her  in  his 
smoke  house  for  we  cood  keep  her  longer  there 
than  enny  where  else  and  so  we  went  to  him  and 
he  chased  us  out  of  his  yard,  then  we  went  to 
Charles  Flanders  but  he  dident  have  but  one 
room  and  his  shed  wasent  big  enuf  to  keep  a 
gote,  and  then  we  went  over  to  old  Jethrow 
Simpsons  and  Jethrow  he  said  if  we  wood  help 
104- 


"    S        e        a       u 


99 


him  haul  wood  enuf  to  fill  his  shed  we  cood  keep 
her  in  his  barn  as  long  as  we  wanted  to  and  have 
enuf  hay  two. 

May  1.  it  was  may  day  today  and  we  dident 
have  enny  school,  so  me  and  Beany  went  up  to 
Fattys  and  got  him  and  we  went  down  to  old 
Nats.  We  wood  have  run  all  the  way  only  Fatty 
got  tukered  out.  When  we  got  there  old  Nat 
made  us  promise  to  give  him  a  hat  or  a  pair  of 
old  boots  becaus  he  kept  lady  Clara  over  Sunday. 
Fatty  he  said  they  was  lots  of  old  hats  at  home 
and  so  we  went  way  back  and  got  a  old  tall  bever 
hat  and  then  old  Nat  hiched  up  lady  Clara  and 
we  piled  in.  Fatty  he  drove  ferst  becaus  he  said 
we  coodent  have  got  her  unless  he  had  got  the 
old  tall  bever.  so  Fatty  he  drove  up  as  fur  as  ass 
brook  and  then  Beany  he  drove  as  fur  as  the  old 
brick  meeting  house  and  then  i  drove  as  fur  as 
the  hall  place  where  Jethrow  lives,  we  all  had  to 
stand  up  when  we  drove  becaus  the  ranes  is  two 

105 


■■       i       I 


}* 


short,  when  we  got  there  old  Jethrow  was  there 
and  he  had  a  dingel  cart  and  we  hiched  lady 
Clara  into  it  and  went  up  to  Jady  Hill  for  sum 
wood,  we  wirked  till  1 2  oh  clock  and  then  we  run 
home  to  dinner  and  run  back  agen.  i  took  all  the 
meal  i  had  for  my  hens  most  2  quarts  and  i  fed 
her.  it  is  Fattys  tirn  next  to  get  meal  for  her. 
then  we  wirked  til  six  oh  clock  and  we  were  all- 
most  ded  we  were  so  tired,  well  when  we  asked 
old  Jethrow  whitch  stal  we  shood  put  her  in  he 
told  us  to  take  our  old  plug  and  get  out  or  he 
wood  lick  us.  jest  think  of  that,  well  we  dident 
know  what  to  do.  so  we  waited  til  most  dark 
and  then  Beany  said  we  had  beter  go  to  the  next 
house  becaus  they  was  a  big  shed  there,  so  i 
said  i  wood  ring  if  Fatty  wood  ask  and  so  i  rung 
the  bell  and  a  woman  came  to  the  door  and  Fatty 
told  her  all  about  it  and  she  said  old  Jethrow  was 
a  meen  old  skin  flint  and  we  cood  put  our  horse 
in  her  shed  and  cood  keep  her  their  as  long  as 
106 


"    S       e        a        u       i        1 


99 


we  wanted  to.  so  she  give  us  a  lantern  and  we 
went  out  and  they  was  a  buly  place  and  we  made 
a  stal  with  2  boards  and  put  a  lot  of  saw  dust  un- 
der her  and  give  her  a  pale  of  water  only  we  did- 
ent  have  enny  hay.  well  bimeby  Beany  said  that 
he  cood  see  the  hay  sticking  out  of  the  cracks  in 
old  Jethrows  barn,  and  we  went  over  and  looked 
and  we  cood  see  plenty  of  hay  there,  so  Fatty  he 
said  we  had  ernt  that  hay  and  we  aught  to  have 
it,  and  Beany  said  so  two,  and  Fatty  said  he 
woodent  steal  ennything  but  this  hay  was  ours 
and  we  had  ernt  it.  so  Fatty  and  Beany  puled 
out  a  board  and  held  it  open  while  i  puled  out 
enuf  hay  and  then  we  fed  lady  Clara  and  went 
home,  ennyway  the  hay  was  ours  and  it  wasent 
stealing  to  take  it. 

May  2.  brite  and  fair,  this  morning  i  got  up 
erly  and  went  over  to  the  barn.  Beany  he  was 
there  and  Fatty  he  came  after  i  had  got  there, 
lady  Clara  was  laying  down  and  woodent  get  up. 

107 


nil 


99 


i  gess  she  was  prety  tired,  so  we  fed  her  and 
Fatty  brogt  some  otes.  so  we  curred  her  down  as 
far  as  we  cood  reech  and  brushed  her  and  then 
we  went  home,  at  brekfast  mother  asked  me 
what  made  me  smel  so  barny  and  i  said  i  had 
been  helping  Fatty  curry  his  horse,  at  noon  we 
fed  her  agen  and  tonite  we  got  her  up  and  curred 
her  other  side,    we  dident  drive  her  today. 

May  3.  rany  as  time,  we  cant  drive  lady  Clara 
today,    we  curred  her  2  times. 

May  4.  tonite  we  drove  lady  Clara.  We  went 
down  Newmarket  road,  we  took  tirns  driving, 
one  of  the  wheals  come  of  and  we  had  to  get  out 
and  walk  home  holding  on  the  wheal. 

May  5.  Ed  Adams  give  us  a  nut  and  we  fixed 
the  wheal,  we  had  a  ride  tonite.  i  tell  you  lady 
Clara  can  go.  we  beat  Gim  Lovering  tonite.  he 
dident  know  who  we  was  becaus  it  was  two  dark 
but  we  knowed  him.  we  beat  him  and  then  we 
waited  for  him  to  come  up  and  then  we  beat  him 
108 


"    S       e        q        n       i        1    " 

agen.    we   did  that   3    times,   and   Gim    he   was 
mad. 

May  6.  my  hens  dont  lay  enny  now.  i  gess  i 
dont  give  them  enuf  to  eat.  it  is  prety  hard  to 
keep  a  horse  and  hens  two.  we  dident  drive  to- 
nite  becaus  it  raned.  it  was  brite  and  fair  yes- 
terday. 

May  7.  today  was  Sunday  and  we  coodent 
drive  lady  Clara,  tomorrow  nite  we  are  going  to 
lay  for  old  man  Churchil  with  his  troter.  i  bet  we 
can  beat  him. 

May  8.  i  have  missed  in  my  lesons  most  every 
day,  and  so  has  Fatty  and  Beany,  today  i  swaped 
a  hen  for  a  buchel  of  meal  for  lady  Clara,  we 
drove  her  tonite  but  we  dident  find  ennyone  to 
race. 

May  9-  brite  and  fair,  if  Beany  dont  shell  out 
more  meal  he  wont  drive  lady  Clara  agen. 

May  10.  Beany  got  a  peck  of  meal  today  at 
old  Si  Smiths,    he  charged  it  to  his  father. 

109 


"    S        e        q        w        i        1    ■*« 

May  11.  we  had  a  buly  ride  tonite  we  raced 
4  fellers  and  beat  them. 

May  12.  brite  and  fair,  tonite  we  coodent  get 
lady  Clara  up.  we  are  going  to  try  agen  tomor- 
row and  drive  her  in  the  day  time. 

May  1 3.  rany  agen.  we  got  lady  Clara  up  this 
morning.  Beany  and  Fatty  pulled  in  front  and  i 
licked  behind,  this  afternoon  one  of  our  wheals 
broak  down.  Ed  Adams  give  us  a  nother  wheal, 
it  went  on  all  rite  only  it  isent  as  big  as  the  other 
wheals  and  it  makes  the  wagon  go  one  sided  a 
little,  we  had  a  good  ride  today,  we  have  to  be 
pretty  careful  in  timing  around  a  corner  becaus 
the  wagon  is  one  sided. 

May  1 4.  today  was  sunday.  father  told  me  if  i 
smelt  so  of  the  barn  he  woodent  let  me  go  up 
to  Fattys  agen.  i  bet  he  wood  be  mad  if  he 
knowed  i  oned  a  horse. 

May  15.  there  was  a  fite  in  school  today,  i 
dont  care  mutch  about  fites  now.  i  had  ruther 
110 


"    S        e        aui        1 


** 


race  horses,  tonite  we  raced  with  a  big  white 
horse  and  beat  him  esy.  we  all  had  to  pull  on  the 
ranes  to  stop  lady  Clara. 

May  16.  brite  and  fair.  Beany  is  behind  5* 
feeds  and  me  and  Fatty  had  to  make  it  up.  last 
nite  lady  Clara  lost  a  shue.  so  this  morning  be- 
fore school  we  walked  every  where  we  drove  last 
nite  and  Beany  found  the  shue  way  down  to  long 
meter  Dows  on  Hamton  road.  Beany  he  said  if 
we  wood  call  it  square  about  the  feeds  he  wood 
get  Gim  Elerson  to  nale  on  the  shue.  so  we  did 
and  Beany  got  Gim  to  nale  on  the  shue.  Beany 
he  raked  up  Gims  front  yard  to  pay  him.  Beany 
is  a  prety  good  feller.  Fatty  had  company  to  his 
house  and  we  dident  go  to  ride  tonite.  it  was 
two  bad. 

May  17.  rany  as  time,  we  coodent  go  to  ride 
today,  it  always  ranes  jest  when  a  feller  wants  to 
do  some  thing. 


Ill 


"     S       e       q        n       i        1    « 

May  18.  it  raned  all  yesterday  and  last  nite 
and  today,  i  bet  it  will  rane  a  week,  we  are 
having  prety  tuf  luck. 

May  1 9-  at  last  it  has  stoped  raning.  i  thaught 
i  never  shood  wright  brite  and  fair  agen.  we  had 
a  buly  ride  tonite  after  we  had  tide  up  the  bridle 
with  sum  rope,  lady  Clara  fell  down  and  we  had 
to  unharnes  her  and  get  her  up.  she  broak  the 
bridle  and  skined  her  gnees  and  we  put  on  sum 
wheal  greese.  Beany  was  standing  up  driving 
when  she  fell  down  and  it  draged  him  rite  over  the 
dasher  and  on  top  of  lady  Clara,  tomorow  they  is 
going  to  be  a  ministers  meeting  in  the  upper 
church  and  there  aint  enny  school  tomorow.  so  we 
are  going  to  drive  all  day.  after  school  we  washed 
the  harness  and  got  a  load  of  sawdust  at  the  hub 
mill,  and  curred  lady  Clara,  we  have  got  most  all 
the  hay  we  can  reech.  when  we  cant  reech  enny 
more  i  dont  know  where  we  can  get  enny  more 
unless  Fatty  can  get  sum. 
J12 


"Seon 


*9 


May  21.  Brite  and  fair,  i  had  a  feerful  day. 
yesterday,  i  feel  so  bad  i  cant  hardly  wright  enny- 
thing.  but  i  will  try  to  wright  it  all  down,  in  the 
morning  me  and  Beany  and  Fatty  we  hiched  up 
lady  Clara  and  drove  round  town,  sum  of  the  fellers 
holered  at  us  but  we  dident  care,  they  was  lots  of 
ministers  in  town,  they  was  mostly  long  tailers 
with  white  necktis.  so  in  the  afternoon  we  hiched 
up  agen  and  drove  up  to  the  depot,  old  wood- 
bridge  Odlin  was  there  wating  for  the  2  oh  clock 
trane.  he  had  a  baruch  with  a  driver  and  his  new 
span  of  black  horses  with  cliped  tails,  and  he  had 
on  his  long  tailed  black  coat  and  a  shiny  bever 
hat.  well  we  dident  wate  for  the  trane  but  we 
drove  through  Winter  street  and  out  to  Front 
street,  when  we  came  to  Lincoln  street  old 
Woodbridge  Odlin  came  along  with  his  baruch 
filled  with  old  ministers  with  bever  hats  and 
specks  and  white  necktis,  and  the  driver  hit  the 
horses  and  away  they  went  lickity  lamp,     well 

113 


»•    S       e        q        n        i        1    " 

Beany  he  was  driving  and  he  leened  over  and  hit 
lady  Clara  a  paist  with  the  whip  and  she  went 
after  them  like  chane  litening,  and  we  all  began 
to  yell  and  the  black  horses  went  faster,  well 
they  was  2  rods  ahead  and  when  we  got  to 
Whackers  house  we  was  most  up  to  there  hind 
wheel,  and  when  we  got  to  doctor  Gorams  office 
we  was  jest  even,  the  old  ministers  was  bouncing 
around  and  holding  on  to  the  sides,  and  old 
Woodbridge  had  lost  his  hat  and  was  standing  up 
yelling  sumthing  at  the  driver,  and  his  whiskers 
were  blowing  way  behind  him.  it  makes  me  most 
die  to  think  of  him  but  i  dont  feel  mutch  like 
laffin.  well  when  we  got  to  Elliott  street  we  were 
ahead  of  them  and  then  the  driver  began  to  pull 
up  his  horses  becaus  all  the  people  was  yelling 
and  waving  there  hats  like  time,  well  lady  Clara 
was  breething  so  she  sounded  like  a  big  sawmill 
saw,  and  when  we  tride  to  stop  her  she  woodent 
stop  so  we  all  tride  together  but  we  coodent  pull 
114 


"    S      e      a       n 


** 


her  in  a  mite  she  had  her  tail  sticking  rite  up  in 
the  air  and  the  more  we  pulled  the  faster  she  went, 
when  we  went  thru  the  square  Fatty  holered  to 
run  her  over  string  brige  and  up  factory  hill  so  we 
cood  stop  her,  and  we  pulled  as  hard  as  we  cood 
but  when  she  came  to  the  corner  she  tirned  around 
into  Water  street  and  over  went  the  wagon  and  we 
came  out  jest  fluking,  well  we  want  hurt  mutch 
and  we  run  after  her  as  fast  as  we  cood.  we 
found  pieces  of  the  wagon  and  harnes  all  over  the 
street  and  when  we  got  to  the  barn  she  was  there 
all  rite,  lots  of  people  came  to  see  about  it,  but 
when  they  found  that  nobody  was  hurt  they  went 
away,  they  wasent  ennything  of  the  harnes  left 
but  the  bridle  and  the  wagon  was  everywhere 
along  the  street.  Well  when  father  came  home 
somebody  had  told  him  about  it  and  he  made 
me  tell  him  all  about  it,  where  we  got  her 
and  how  we  fed  her  and  everything,  and  when  i 
told  him  about  the  hay  i  thought  he  was  going  to 

115 


"     S        c        q        11        i        1 


9* 


lick  time  out  of  me  he  was  so  mad,  and  he  said 
he  never  knowed  i  cood  steal,  and  i  said  i  only 
hooked  it  and  he  said  what  is  the  diference  and  i 
said  stealing  is  taking  sumthing  that  you  know 
belongs  to  sumbody  else,  and  hooking  is  taking 
sumthing  that  belongs  to  you  and  sumbody  else 
wont  let  you  have,  i  suposed  everybody  knowed 
that,  well  he  dident  lick  me,  but  after  super  he 
got  mister  Watson,  Beanys  father  and  we  all  went 
over  to  see  lady  Clara  and  what  do  you  think, 
when  we  got  there  she  was  ded.  i  gess  she  had 
broak  something  inside  of  her.  i  tell  you  me  and 
Beany  felt  prety  bad  and  Fatty  did  when  we  told 
him.  well  then  father  and  mister  Watson  Beanys 
father  told  us  to  go  home  and  go  to  bed  and  so 
we  went,  so  tonite  i  herd  father  telling  mother 
about  it  and  he  said  he  give  old  Jethrow  a  dresing 
down  that  wood  tech  him  not  to  cheet  a  boy  agen. 
he  said  if  Jethrow  hadent  been  a  old  man  he  wood 
have  nocked  his  head  of. 
116 


"    S        e        a        u        i        1 


99 


May  22.  brite  and  fair,  i  shal  never  own 
a  horse  agen. 

May  23,  186-  brite  and  fair,  my  hens  are 
laying  buly  now.  i  gess  they  dident  have  very 
good  cair  when  me  and  Beany  and  Fatty  was 
keeping  Lady  Clara,  i  tell  you  a  feller  witch 
keeps  a  horse  cant  pay  mutch  atention  to  enny- 
thing  else. 

May  24.  brite  and  fair,  tonite  me  and  father 
went  down  to  old  man  Collins,  he  wants  to  sell 
father  his  cow.  he  says  she  gives  20  quats  of  milk 
a  day.  father  says  the  milk  we  get  of  the  milk 
man  is  all  chork  and  water. 

May  25.  rany  as  time,  father  ofered  30  dolars 
for  old  man  Collins  cow.  he  wants  35  dolars.  she 
has  got  aural  long  horns,  old  man  Collins  said  she 
had  aural  big  milk  vanes,  father  said  they  was 
varrycose  vanes  and  she  want  wirth  30  dolars  but 
he  wood  give  it  to  help  out  a  old  man.  old  man 
Collins  he  said  if  she  kep  on  giving  milk  the  way 

117 


"    S       e        4        u        i        1    »» 

she  was  a  giving  it  they  wood  have  to  milk  her 
in  a  tub.  then  father  he  said  he  gessed  she  give 
so  mutch  milk  that  it  want  good  for  ennything 
and  old  man  Collins  he  said  you  cood  take  the 
creem  up  by  one  corner  and  lift  it  out  like  a 
old  pair  of  linen  britches,  they  dident  trade 
tonite. 

May  26.  brite  and  fair,  tonite  me  and  father 
went  down  to  old  man  Collins  agen.  father  said 
he  was  going  to  trade  for  that  cow  only  i  must 
shet  up  and  not  say  ennything.  he  said  you  jest 
wach  me  and  you  will  lern  sumthing  about  trading, 
so  i  wached  him.  well  we  went  down  and  father 
said  well  mister  Collins  how  do  you  feel  about 
trading  tonite.  and  old  man  Collins  he  said,  i  gess 
you  are  two  late  George  fer  i  have  sold  her  to 
a  man  in  Hamton  Falls,  and  father  said  what  did 
you  get  for  her  and  old  man  Collins  he  said  i  told 
him  he  cood  have  her  for  35  dolars  and  he  ofered 
me  33  dolars  and  50  cents  and  i  said  the  first  man 
118 


"    S      c      a       u      i      I   " 


whitch  ofers  me  35  dolars  gets  her,  and  i  gess  he 
will  be  up  tomorow  morning,  then  father  he  said 
have  you  made  the  trade  and  old  man  Collins  he 
said  he  hadent  made  enny  trade  but  he  had  kind 
of  let  the  man  understand  he  cood  have  her  for 
35  dolars.  then  father  he  said  he  wood  give  35 
dolars  and  old  man  Collins  he  said  he  dident  know 
about  selling  her  xcept  to  the  Hamton  Falls  man 
but  if  father  wood  give  him  37  dolars  he  cood  give 
the  Hamton  Falls  man  2  dolars  if  he  came  up 
and  was  disapointed.  so  father  he  give  old  man 
Collins  37  dolars  and  we  got  a  roap  and  tide  it 
round  her  horns  and  led  her  home,  when  we  got 
home  we  tried  to  get  her  in  the  barn,  father  he 
went  ahead  and  she  folowed  him  in  and  all  of  a 
suddin  she  backed  out  lively  and  father  came  out 
jest  nuking,  holding  on  to  the  roap  and  taking 
feerful  long  stradles.  he  looked  so  mad  that  i  did- 
ent dass  to  laff.  well  father  held  on  like  a  good  fel- 
ler and  bimeby  she  stoped.   then  father  said  so  so 

119 


"    S       e       o       u 


** 


and  held  out  sum  meal  in  a  pail  and  got  her  in 
the  barn  and  tide  her  to  a  post,  then  he  give  her 
sum  hay  and  we  went  in  and  he  told  mother  she 
had  beter  make  sum  araingments  to  sell  sum  milk 
for  we  was  going  to  have  20  quats  every  day. 
then  mother  she  said  if  the  cow  gives  milk  like 
my  hens  lade  egs  they  woodent  be  mutch  milk  to 
sell,  and  father  said  you  jest  wait  til  morning, 
then  we  went  down  to  old  Gechels  store  and 
father  he  bougt  the  bigest  milk  pail  he  cood  find. 
May  27.  brite  and  fair,  this  morning  me  and 
father  got  up  erly  and  we  went  out  to  feed  the 
cow  and  i  piched  down  the  hay  and  father  he  set 
down  and  begun  to  milk  her,  he  brougt  out  the 
big  pail  and  a  little  one  to  use  after  he  had  filled 
the  big  one.  well  the  ferst  thing  he  did  was  to 
aim  a  streem  rite  in  my  eye.  then  he  milked  in 
the  pail  and  it  made  a  funy  sound,  well  he  kep 
milking  and  bimeby  it  stoped  coming,  and  he 
squeazed  away  as  hard  as  he  cood  and  he  coodent 
120 


u    S       e       q       u 


99 


get  a  drop  and  bimeby  he  give  up  and  said  he 
gessed  it  was  becaus  she  was  in  a  new  place  and 
was  loansum.  when  we  went  into  the  house  and 
straned  it  thrugh  a  siv  they  wasent  quite  2  quats. 
mother  she  laffed  and  asked  what  he  had  done 
with  the  other  8  quats  and  father  he  said  you  wait 
til  tonite.  then  he  et  his  brekfast  and  went  to  bos- 
ton and  i  et  mine  and  drove  the  old  cow  to  pas- 
ture, i  found  a  robins  nest  in  a  pine  tree  and 
took  one  eg.  it  is  all  rite  to  take  one  becaus  the 
old  bird  cant  count. 

May  28,  186-  brite  and  fair,  last  nite  after 
super  father  milked  the  old  cow  again,  he  only 
got  2  quats  and  a  half,  he  was  prety  mad  and  he 
said  he  wood  get  even  with  old  man  Collins  sum 
day.  tonite  he  met  old  man  Collins  and  he  asked 
father  if  she  milked  esy  and  father  said  yes  and 
he  asked  father  how  mutch  she  give  and  father 
said  she  give  more  than  he  wanted,  that  want  a 
lie  for  father  dont  like  milk,    i  bet  father  will  get 

121 


"    S       e       a       u 


99 


even  with  him  sum  day.  nothing  else  today  but 
church. 

May  29.  brite  and  fair,  i  have  to  go  to  pasture 
2  times  every  day.  i  like  to  go  in  the  woods  but 
i  dont  like  to  have  to  go.  today  i  found  a  nest  in 
the  barn  with  15  hens  egs.  i  gess  mother  wont 
say  mutch  about  my  hens  now. 

May  30.  Rany.  Beany  has  gone  to  Bideford  to 
see  Tom  Cleves.  i  hope  Tom  will  come  with  him 
when  Beany  comes  home,  i  went  up  to  Whacker 
Chadwicks  tonite.  Beany  has  been  sick  he  et  two 
mutch  pork. 

May  31.  today  it  was  hot  and  we  had  a  thun- 
der shower,  it  raned  when  i  was  driving  the  old 
cow  from  pasture  and  i  made  her  run  from  old 
Nat  Gordons  way  home.  Sam  Dire  said  she  wood 
give  bludy  milk,  so  when  father  milked  her  i 
wached  and  it  want  a  bit  red.  so  i  gess  she  is  all 
rite. 

June  1.  brite  and  fair,  today  we  had  a  great 
122 


"    S        e        q       n        i        1    " 

time  at  brekfast.  father  was  home  becaus  sum- 
times  he  gets  tired,  we  had  boiled  egs  for  brek- 
fast and  mother  she  boiled  the  egs  i  found  in  the 
nest,  well  we  set  down  to  the  table  and  father  he 
helped  us  to  egs  and  bisket  and  he  took  up  a  eg 
and  held  it  over  his  glass  and  hit  it  a  paist  with 
his  spoon  and  it  went  off  jest  like  a  pop  pistol  and 
father  he  said  thunder  Joey  the  infernal  thing  is 
roten  and  we  all  held  our  nose  and  ran  away  from 
the  table  and  you  never  smelt  such  a  aural  smel. 
well  mother  she  made  me  take  the  egs  all  out  be- 
hine  the  barn  and  throw  them  away  and  i  did  and 
when  i  got  there  i  had  sum  fun  pluging  them  at 
J.  Albert  Clarks  big  apple  tree  and  i  hit  it  most 
every  time  and  every  time  i  hit  it  the  eg  popped 
like  a  pistol,  then  i  went  in  to  brekfast  and 
mother  was  burning  some  cony  in  a  duspan  to 
take  away  the  smel  of  the  roten  eg.  well  while 
we  was  eating  brekfast  J.  Albert  Clark  he  came 
in  and  said  i  had  beter  come  out  and  clean  of  his 

123 


"    S       e       q       n       i       1    »« 

apple  tree  and  burn  a  rag  and  father  made  me 
take  a  pail  of  hot  water  and  clean  it  of.  J.  Albert 
needent  have  been  so  fusy  for  it  wood  have  all 
dride  in  a  little  while. 

June  2.  brite  and  fair,  i  wish  that  old  cow 
was  ded.    Beany  hasent  got  back  yet. 

June  3.  brite  and  fair,  i  am  in  bed.  i  aint 
sick  only  i  havent  got  enny  close  to  wair.  tonite 
after  father  had  milked  the  old  cow  i  thougt  i 
wood  try  it.  so  i  got  a  tin  diper  and  went  out  and 
set  down  and  began  to  squeaze  and  she  kicked 
me  rite  thrugh  the  barn  door  and  rite  into  the 
manure  pile,  when  i  got  up  i  was  all  covered  and 
Aunt  Clark  was  in  her  back  garden  and  she  saw 
me  and  asked  me  if  i  was  hurt  and  i  said  i  wasent 
and  she  said  for  mersy  sakes  dont  come  near  me 
but  go  round  to  the  pump,  well  i  went  round  to 
the  pump  and  mother  and  Aunt  Sarah  and  Aunt 
Clark  pumped  on  me  and  threw  pails  of  water  on 
me  and  scraped  me  with  peaces  of  shingle,  and 
124 


"    S       e       a       n 


** 


when  they  had  got  me  prety  clean  mother  made 
me  go  in  the  barn  and  take  of  my  close  and  then 
she  put  me  in  a  tub  in  the  kichen  and  washed  me 
in  warm  water  and  soped  my  head  and  then  sent 
me  to  bed.  i  have  got  to  wair  my  best  close  to- 
morow  and  i  cant  go  out  of  the  yard,  i  wish  that 
old  cow  was  ded.   father  said  it  sirved  me  jest  rite. 

June  4.  Brite  and  fair.  Beany  has  got  back, 
tonite  he  came  over  and  told  me  about  the  fun  he 
had  at  Bideford.  we  was  going  to  ring  doorbells 
tonite  but  i  had  to  stay  in  the  yard  and  it  was 
Sunday  two. 

June  5.  Brite  and  fair,  today  Scotty  Brigam 
let  me  take  his  bugle  and  i  lerned  to  make  2 
notes,  my  mouth  was  all  sweled  up  and  my  face 
aked.  it  aint  so  esy  as  a  tin  whissle  but  i  can 
make  more  noise  on  it.  i  gess  i  shall  never  get 
that  cornet. 

June  6,  186-  i  have  to  pay  all  the  money  i  can 
ern  to  get  corn  for  my  hens. 

125 


"    S       e       a       u 


** 


June  7.  Brite  and  fair  in  the  morning  and 
clowdy  but  no  rane  in  the  afternoon,  tonite  me 
and  Beany  rung  doorbells,  we  dident  get  cougt 
but  we  came  prety  near  it. 

June  8.  Rany.  Tonite  the  old  cow  kicked 
father  and  nocked  him  rite  of  the  stool  and  spilt 
about  a  quat  of  milk  all  over  him.  buly.  i  wanted 
to  tell  him  it  sirved  him  rite  but  i  dident  dass  to. 

June  9.  Clowdy  but  no  rane.  father  has  sold 
the  old  cow  to  Eben  Garland  the  bucher.  buly. 
Aunt  Sarah  asked  mother  what  she  gessed  he 
wood  have  next  and  mother  she  said  she  gessed 
he  wood  by  a  gristly  bear  for  he  had  bougt  most 
everything  but  that,  he  says  he  gesses  he  will 
have  sum  sheap  for  they  cant  bite  or  kick  and 
dont  eat  mutch. 

June  10.    brite    and   fair,    the   baby  had  the 

croop  last  nite.    the  minit  he  coffed  croopy  father 

and  mother  jumped  out  of  bed  and  father  he  fell 

over  a  chair  and  that  waked  us  all  up.   then  he 

126 


"    S       e       a       u       i       1    " 


tride  to  lite  a  lamp  and  he  coodent  find  the 
maches  and  he  swoar  round  feerful.  well  mother 
she  lit  the  lamp  and  they  all  went  tearing  round 
and  they  got  sum  hot  water  and  made  the  baby 
eat  some  eg  and  sugar  and  put  hot  close  on  his 
neck  and  prety  soon  he  was  all  rite,  then  they 
give  me  the  rest  of  the  eg  and  sugar,  then  we  all 
went  to  bed  and  i  lay  and  laffed  to  think  of  father 
tumbling  over  the  chair  and  swaring.  Ennyway 
the  baby  is  all  rite. 

June  11.  i  hate  to  go  to  church,  we  have  all 
got  to  be  vaxinated.  sum  peeple  in  the  next  town 
have  got  the  small  pocks.  Beany  has  been  and 
Pewt  two.  Beany  says  the  doctor  takes  a  nife  and 
cuts  a  hole  in  your  arm  and  then  puts  on  a  big 
scab  whitch  has  come  of  somebodys  arm  whitch 
has  been  vaxinated,  and  that  stops  the  blud.  but 
he  says  that  if  the  scab  dont  fit  you  bleed  to  deth. 
so  i  asked  father  about  it  tonite  and  he  said  that 
Beany  lied  about  it,  but  he  says  if  you  are  vaxi- 

127 


"    S       e       a       u       i       1    " 


nated  with  the  scab  of  a  redheaded  person  your 
hair  will  turn  red,  and  if  he  has  warts  or  frekles 
you  will  have  warts  two  and  frekles.  father  said 
once  when  he  was  a  boy  he  knew  a  feller  whitch 
was  vaxinated  with  a  scab  of  a  cock-eyed  man  and 
bimeby  the  feller  began  to  squint  and  he  kep  on 
squinting  wirse  and  wirse  and  bimeby  he  was 
cock-eyed  two.  and  father  he  said  he  knew 
another  feller  whitch  had  a  wooden  leg  and  he 
sent  his  scab  to  another  feller  to  be  vaxinated  and 
that  feller  began  to  limp  and  he  always  walked 
stifleged.  i  gess  father  was  fooling,  ennyway  i 
hope  i  shant  be  vaxinated  with  Skinny  Bruces 
scab,  becaus  he  is  redheaded,  father  he  said  he 
was  going  to  get  a  scab  of  Horis  Cobb  for  me  and 
perhaps  i  wood  have  a  little  fat  on  me  and  not  be 
so  spindel  shanked,  i  wish  i  cood  get  a  scab  of 
Gim  Erly  or  Tady  Finton  and  i  cood  lick  time 
out  of  Pewt. 

June   12.    brite  and  fair.     Beany  has  a  auful 
128 


-1-    S        e        qui        1 


9? 


sore  arm.  he  dont  dass  to  rassle  or  fite  or  do 
ennything. 

June  1 3.  brite  and  fair.  Pewt  has  got  one  two. 
tomorrow  nite  the  doctor  is  coming. 

June  15.  brite  and  fair,  last  nite  after  super 
the  doctor  come  and  he  went  into  the  parlor  and 
father  and  mother  and  Cele  and  Keene  and  me 
and  Georgie  and  Annie  and  Frank  and  the  baby 
was  all  in  the  setting  room,  well  ferst  father  went 
in  and  he  was  only  in  there  a  few  minits  and  he 
dident  holler  enny  and  then  he  come  out  laffing, 
and  i  asked  him  whose  scab  he  had  and  he  said 
he  dident  know  but  it  must  have  been  from  sum 
minister  becaus  he  had  been  thanking  the  lord  it 
was  all  over,  then  mother  she  went  in  and  father 
told  her  he  had  got  the  scab  of  old  Mike  Casey 
for  her.  mother  is  english  and  she  dont  like  the 
irish  and  father  said  it  to  plage  her.  well  she 
went  in  and  then  Aunt  Sarah  went  in  and  Keene 
and  Cele  and  they  dident  holler  eether.   then  my 

129 


•*    S       c       q       ii       i       1    •• 

tern  came  and  i  went  in  and  it  dident  hurt  a  bit 
only  sort  of  smarted  tickly  like,  i  asked  the  doc- 
tor whose  scab  i  had  and  he  said  Bruce  Brigams. 
buly.  Bruce  Brigam  is  the  best  cornet  player  in 
town,  i  bet  i  can  play  like  time  if  i  ever  get  a 
cornet,  then  the  rest  of  them  went  in  and  none 
of  them  hollered  xcept  the  baby  ?nd  he  always 
hollers  when  ennything  is  the  matter,  father  told 
Cele  that  he  got  old  Nigger  Tashs  scab  for  her  and 
he  gessed  she  wood  begin  to  turn  prety  dark  cul- 
ored  before  a  week  or  2.  Aunt  Sarah  told  Cele 
he  was  fooling. 

June  16,  186—   Brite  and  fair,    my  arm  is  all 
rite. 

June  1 7.    Rany  and  thunderry.   my  arm  begins 
to  ich  a  little  only  i  cant  scrach  it. 

June  18.    still  rany.    all  our  arms  begin  to  ich. 
Annies  arm  is  the  wirst.    we  dident  go  to  church 
today.    That  is  one  good  thing.    I  never  knew  it 
to  rane  before  on  Sunday. 
130 


"    S       e       a       u 


99 


June  19.  brite  and  fair,  every  one  of  us  is 
cross  as  time,  i  took  hold  of  Georgies  arm  today 
and  she  began  to  ball  and  said  i  did  it  purpose,  i 
keep  hiting  my  arm  agenst  things  all  the  time, 
somehow  i  never  hit  the  well  one.  that  is  always 
the  way  with  things. 

June  20.  brite  and  fair,  father  is  cross  two. 
last  nite  he  grabed  me  by  the  arm  to  shake  me 
and  it  hurt  so  i  hollered  like  time,  and  then  he 
let  me  go  and  said  he  forgot  about  my  arm. 

June  21.  brite  and  fair.  Annie  is  in  bed  sick 
with  her  arm.  She  always  has  things  the  wirst 
xcept  mother,  only  mother  says  she  hasent  enny 
time  to  be  sick. 

June  22.  brite  and  fair,  my  arm  is  still  auful 
sore  and  the  wirst  of  it  is  becaus  i  cant  go  in 
swimming. 

June  23.  Brite  and  fair.  All  our  arms  is  bet- 
ter. John  Johnson  who  rings  the  town  bell  has 
gone  away  for  a  week  and  Beanys  father  is  going 

131 


"    S        e        q        u        i        1    t* 

to  ring  it.  He  has  to  ring  it  at  7  oh  clock  in  the 
morning  and  at  1  oh  clock  in  the  afternoon  and 
at  9  oh  clock  in  the  nite  except  Saturday  nites 
when  they  ring  it  at  8  oh  clock  so  that  peeple 
can  get  there  baths  before  bedtime.  Me  and 
Beany  are  going  to  lern  to  ring  it. 

June  24.  Rany.  me  and  Beany  went  up  to  the 
church  to-day  to  see  Beanys  father  ring  the  town 
bell,  he  let  us  pull  it  a  little,  it  is  prety  esy.  then 
we  went  up  at   1   oh  clock  and  at  9  oh  clock. 

June  25.  Rany  again,  most  of  our  scabs  has 
come  of.  i  dident  go  up  to  see  Mister  Watson 
ring  the  bell  this  morning  becaus  i  dident  get  up 
in  time,  it  was  Sunday.  Beany  he  dident  neether, 
but  we  did  tonite.    Beany  can  ring  it  prety  well. 

June  26.  Brite  and  fair,  jest  think,  Beanys 
father  is  going  to  Portsmuth  tomorrow  and  Beany 
is  going  to  ring  the  bell  and  he  is  going  to  let 
me  help  him.  Beany  is  a  prety  good  feller, 
mother  sent  of  the  scabs  today  to  peeple  whitch 
132 


"    S       e       4       u       i       1    »• 

wanted  them,    nobody  wanted  mine,    father  said 
it  was  becaus  i  was  such  a  tuf  feller. 

June  27.  Brite  and  fair,  gosh  if  we  dident 
have  a  auful  time  today,  in  the  morning  me  and 
Beany  went  up  to  the  church  and  rung  the  bell, 
we  had  a  good  time  and  rung  it  jest  so  many 
rings  jest  as  mister  Watson,  Beanys  father  told  us 
to,  then  me  and  Beany  both  got  kep  after  school, 
and  when  we  got  out  we  asked  Noot  Crummet 
what  time  it  was  and  he  said  it  was  jest  1 
oh  clock  and  that  the  town  bell  had  jest  struck 
and  then  me  and  Beany  jest  put  for  the  church 
as  tite  as  we  cood  hiper,  and  we  was  prety  near 
tuckered  out  when  we  got  there  and  we  both 
grabed  hold  of  the  roap  and  begun  to  ring  the 
bell,  well  we  only  rung  it  a  few  times  before  we 
herd  sumone  holler  fire,  and  then  more  peeple 
begun  to  holler  and  we  looked  out  and  we  saw 
Charles  Fifield  and  Charly  Batcheldor  and  Chick 
Randall  and  Jimmy  Josie  jest  putting  it  for  the 

133 


"    S        e        o        u        i        1 


99 


ingine  house,  and  Beany  said  buly  they  is  a  fire, 
and  we  begun  to  ring  the  bell  as  hard  as  we  cood 
and  holler  fire,  then  the  Methydist  bell  begun  to 
ring  and  then  the  upper  house  bell,  and  Charles 
Tolls  horses  came  galoping  down  to  the  fountain 
ingine  house  with  Mat  Sleeper  driving.  And  Ma- 
ger  Blakes  horses  went  by  jest  lickety  larup  for  the 
Torrent  ingine  house  with  old  Brown  driving,  and 
then  Flunk  Ham  came  piling  into  the  church  and 
said,  give  me  that  roap  and  he  puled  like  time, 
then  sum  peeple  came  runing  in  and  said  where 
is  the  fire,  and  Flunk  he  said  we  dident  know,  and 
then  we  herd  the  ingine  and  went  out  and  they 
was  the  Torrent  and  the  fountain  and  lots  of  men, 
and  they  said  where  in  hel  is  the  fire  and  nobody 
knowed  where  it  was.  and  then  Chick  Randall  he 
asked  Flunk  what  he  was  ringing  the  bell  for  and 
Flunk  he  said  he  found  me  and  Beany  ringing  it. 
then  they  asked  us  what  we  was  ringing  it  for  and 
we  said  we  was  ringing  it  for  Mister  Watson 
134 


"    S        e        o       u       i        1 


99 


Beanys  father,  because  he  was  going  to  ring  it  for 
Mister  Johnson,  and  he  had  to  go  to  Portsmuth 
and  so  he  told  Beany  to  ring  it,  and  then  old 
Brown  he  said  us  was  fools  and  asked  us  if  we 
dident  know  enuf  to  tell  time  and  he  said  it  was 
only  20  minits  past  1 2  oh  clock  when  the  bell  be- 
gun to  ring,  and  some  of  the  peeple  was  mad  and 
said  we  had  aught  to  be  arested,  and  then  we  said 
that  Noot  Crummet  told  us  it  was  1  oh  clock  and 
then  sum  of  them  begun  to  laff  and  said  it  was  a 
good  one.  Ennyway  me  and  Beany  run  home  as 
quick  as  we  cood  and  the  peeple  went  of  two.  well 
tonite  father  said  if  he  had  got  into  so  many 
scrapes  when  he  was  a  boy  as  me  and  Beany  did 
he  wood  have  been  in  jale.  and  Aunt  Sarah  laffed 
and  said  she  gessed  she  cood  tell  a  few  things  if 
she  wanted  to  and  father  he  said  he  cood  two  but 
he  gessed  he  woodent.  Ennyway  he  said  Gim  Mel- 
cher  and  Charles  Talor  led  him  into  a  good  many 
scrapes  and  Aunt  Sarah  she  said  she  gessed  me 

135 


"     S       e       q        u       i        1    " 

and  Beany  and  Pewt  want  a  sercumstance  to 
father  and  Gim  Melcher  and  Charles  Talor. 

June  28.  brite  and  fair,  it  is  most  fourth  of 
July  again,  they  is  going  to  be  a  band  concert  on 
the  square,  i  shant  have  as  mutch  money  as  last 
year,  ennyway  i  bet  i  will  have  a  good  time,  i 
went  in  swiming  4  times  today,  i  coodent  go  in 
while  my  arm  was  sore.  Annie  is  most  well  but 
cross  as  time. 

June  29.  brite  and  fair,  i  went  in  swiming  5 
times  today,  tomorow  me  and  Pewt  is  going  pik- 
erilling.  Pewt  is  a  good  feller  to  fish,  fourth  of 
July  is  coming  next  week. 

June  30.  today  me  and  Pewt  went  fishing.  We 
got  Charles  Flanders  little  blew  bote,  it  is  the 
esiest  bote  to  row  i  ever  rowd.  Pewt  cougt  4  pik- 
eril  and  5  kivies  and  3  pirch.  i  cougt  2  pikeril 
and  2  kivies  and  4  pirch  and  1  sucker,  we  cougt 
sum  minnies  and  shiners  for  bate  but  we  dident 
call  them  ennything.  we  div  of  the  bank  at  the 
136 


"    S       e        q       u       i        1    n 

eddy,  once  Pewt  sliped  and  come  down  all  guts, 
it  nocked  the  wind  all  out  of  him. 

July  1 .  brite  and  fair,  today  is  the  first  day  of 
July,  and  we  had  my  fish  fride  for  brekfast. 

July  2.  brite  and  fair,  i  bougt  5  bunches  of 
snapcrackers  and  2  bunches  of  canon  crackers  and 
sum  slow  mach  and  put  them  in  a  box  in  my  room, 
tomorow  is  the  nite  before  fourth.  Pewt  is  going 
to  have  a  pistol  and  Beany  a  canon,  father  he 
says  if  he  hears  of  me  fooling  with  a  gun  he  will 
lick  me  and  send  me  to  bed  for  a  week,  ennyway 
he  dident  say  ennything  about  a  pistol  or  a  canon. 

July  3.  gosh  i  was  scart  today,  this  morning  i 
went  up  to  my  room  to  look  at  my  snap  crackers. 
i  got  the  box  on  the  floor  and  was  counting  them 
when  i  looked  out  of  the  window,  i  saw  old  Miss 
Hartnett  hanging  out  sum  close  on  the  line,  i 
thougt  i  cood  make  her  gump  and  i  wanted  to  try 
jest  one  canon  cracker  to  see  if  they  was  good 
ones,   well  i  lit  one  and  pluged  it  down  behind 

137 


nil" 


her,  and  jest  as  she  was  reeching  up  with  her 
mouth  full  of  close  pins  it  went  of  bang,  and  she 
hollered  love  of  God  and  went  rite  over  back- 
wards, i  thougt  i  shood  die  and  jest  then  one 
went  of  bang  rite  in  the  room  and  then  they  all 
begun  to  go  of  bang  bang  bang  and  i  grabed  the 
box  up  and  pluged  it  out  of  the  window  and  mother 
came  up  jest  hipering  and  the  room  was  full  of 
smoke  and  i  was  stamping  out  the  burning  paper, 
well  when  i  got  it  out  she  was  prety  mad  with 
me  and  made  me  clean  the  room  and  wash  the 
floor  and  windows,  ferst  i  went  out  and  picked 
up  my  snapcrackers.,  they  were  all  rite  but  all  the 
canon  crackers  but  2  had  went  of.  Mother  she 
asked  me  how  they  got  afire  and  i  said  i  was  fool- 
ing with  them  and  they  got  on  fire  and  i  had  to 
plug  them  out  of  the  window,  then  she  said  that 
was  what  fritened  Miss  Hartnett  so  and  i  said 
was  she  fritened  and  she  said  she  was  so  fritened 
that  she  fell  over  backwards  and  i  said  is  that  so. 
138 


"    S       e        q        n       i        1    " 

mother  dont  know  i  did  it  on  purpose  whitch  is 
prety  good  luck  for  me,  so  she  only  made  me 
keep  my  snapcrackers  in  the  yard,  so  i  put  them 
in  a  hole  in  the  apple  tree,  gosh,  you  aught  to 
hear  Miss  Hartnett  tell  about  it. 

July  1,  186—  brite  and  fair,  i  have  been  in 
bed  3  days,  on  the  fourth  i  got  bloan  up  with 
Pewts  canon,  i  had  fired  all  my  snapcrackers  but 
2  bunches  whitch  i  had  saved  for  nite,  so  me  and 
Pewt  we  was  fixing  the  canon,  ferst  we  wood  put 
in  sum  powder  and  then  we  wood  put  in  sum  wet 
paper  for  a  wod  and  then  we  wood  put  in  sum 
grass  and  then  put  in  the  ramrod  and  pound  it 
down  with  a  rock,  then  we  wood  put  a  fuze  of  a 
snap  cracker  in  the  tuch  hole  and  lite  it  and  put 
for  the  other  side  of  the  street  and  it  wood  make 
an  auful  bang  and  tern  2  or  3  sumersets.  Well  we 
had  lots  of  fun  and  bimeby  i  was  poaring  out  sum 
powder  out  of  the  powder  horn  and  all  of  a  suddin 
they  was  a  flash  of  litening  and  the  next  i  knew  i 

139 


"Sean 


** 


was  in  bed  and  father  and  mother  and  Cele  and 
Keene  and  docter  Perry  and  aunt  Sarah  and  aunt 
Clark  and  Georgie  was  in  the  room,  and  i  said 
what  is  the  matter  and  mother  began  to  laff  and 
then  to  cry  and  Docter  Perry  he  said  you  had  bet- 
ter take  her  out  and  let  her  lie  down,  but  mother 
she  said  she  wood  be  all  rite  and  docter  he  said 
you  needent  wurry  Missis  Shute,  you  coodent  kill 
this  boy  with  brik.  well  my  eyes  smarted  and  i 
felt  like  the  room  was  spinning  round  but  it  did- 
ent  hurt  enny.  well  that  nite  i  coodent  go  to  the 
band  concert  but  they  pushed  my  bed  up  to  the 
window  and  i  cood  hear  it  prety  good,  the  next 
day  i  had  sum  buly  gelly  and  oranges  and  Cele 
and  Keene  read  to  me  and  in  the  afternoon  Beany 
came  in  to  see  me.  Beany  he  burnt  his  hand  on 
the  fourth  and  Pewt  he  burnt  of  one  eyebrow  and 
so  we  all  had  a  prety  good  fourth.  Yesterday 
Boog  and  Puzzy  came  down  and  fit  for  me  until 
mother  came  up.  i  am  all  rite  now  and  tomorow 
140 


"    S       e        a        u       i        1 


9* 


i  can  go  in  swiming.  it  was  the  babys  berthday 
today,  he  was  just  1  year  old.  he  is  a  auful  fat 
little  baby,  when  i  was  sick  mother  wood  let  him 
sit  on  the  bed. 

July  8.  brite  and  fair,  i  went  in  swimming  to- 
day, the  water  was  jest  as  warm  as  if  it  came  out 
of  the  kittle,  next  monday  i  am  going  bull  frog- 
ing  with  Cawcaw  Harding. 

July  9.  brite  and  fair,  nothing  today  but 
church. 

July  10.  me  and  Cawcaw  had  a  prety  good 
time  today,  we  cougt  3  dozen  bull  frogs  legs,  we 
got  sum  old  busters,  it  is  auful  funny  to  catch 
them,  they  will  bite  a  bare  hook,  so  we  swing  the 
hook  by  them  and  they  gump  for  it  and  then  they 
kick  and  almost  tern  rong  side  out  trying  to  get 
of  of  the  hook,  then  we  grab  them  by  the  legs 
and  whak  their  heads  over  the  side  of  the  bote 
and  their  inside  comes  out  and  sumtimes  lots  of 
hard  water  snales  comes  ratling   out   and    sum- 

141 


S       e       o       n       i       1 


9* 


times  they  has  fishes  and  sumtimes  other  bull 
frogs  or  stripers,  then  we  cut  of  there  legs,  me 
and  Cawcaw  always  kill  them  ferst.  sum  fellers 
cut  of  there  legs  ferst,  that  is  prety  cruil  i  think. 
Cawcaw  he  thinks  so  two. 

July  11.  brite  and  fair,  today  i  went  in  swim- 
ing  up  to  sandy  bottum.  Whack  and  Boog  and 
Puzzy  were  there  and  got  to  pluging  green  ap- 
ples. Whack  got  behind  a  tree  and  jest  as  he 
peeked  out  Boog  pluged  a  hard  one  and  took 
Whack  rite  in  the  mouth,  then  Whack  got  mad 
and  said  he  cood  lick  Boog  and  Puzzy  together, 
so  Boog  and  Puzzy  piched  in  and  had  a  good  fite 
and  punched  time  out  of  Whack.  While  i  was 
waching  them  fite,  sumbody  tide  gnots  in  my 
shert  sleavs  so  tite  that  i  coodent  get  them  out 
so  i  had  to  go  home  without  my  shert  on.  it  was 
prety  lucky  i  had  my  jaket  on. 

July  12.  Today  i  went  up  to  Whacks  and  we 
et  sum  green  currents  with  shugar  on  them  and 
142 


"    S        e        4        u        i        1    " 

then  et  sum  green  apples  and  then  we  went  in 
swimming  down  to  sandy  bottum.  i  dont  feel 
very  well  tonite,  i  have  got  a  bely  ake. 

July  13.  i  have  been  sick  all  day,  mother  made 
me  take  a  big  spoon  full  of  caster  oil. 

July  14.  i  am  beter  today,  it  raned  all  day 
and  tonite  they  was  a  thunder  shower,  it  struck  a 
tree  in  Gilman  field. 

July  15.  i  went  up  to  Whacks  agen  today,  i 
dident  eat  enny  green  apples  or  green  currents 
you  bet.  Whack  and  Boog  and  Puzzy  did  and 
they  give  little  Willie  sum.  they  never  have  the 
bely  ake.    i  never  see  such  fellers. 

July  16.  i  have  got  a  velosipede,  it  ways  90 
pounds,  i  have  got  so  i  can  ride  it  down  hill, 
last  nite  i  was  riding  it  up  by  Gim  Odlins  and  it 
ran  rite  into  a  tree  and  i  came  of  rite  over  it  and 
scrached  my  hands  and  nocked  the  skin  of  my 
gnees.  today  was  Sunday  and  i  coodent  ride  it 
but  i  set  on  it. 

143 


"    S        e        q        u       i        1    »' 

July  17.  Hot  as  time  today.  Docter  Gerrish 
and  Docter  Perry  and  J.  Albert  Clark  have  all  got 
buly  velossipedes,  they  have  spring  backs  but 
mine  is  solid  iron  back  and  when  i  go  over  a 
bump  or  a  stone  it  most  ratles  my  teeth  out. 
Beany  he  can  ride  two,  but  Pewt  cant. 

July  18.    feerful  hot. 

July  19,  186—  we  fellers  is  going  to  have  a 
swiming  mach.  they  is  going  to  be  prises  for  the 
feller  whitch  can  dive  the  best  and  for  the  feller 
whitch  can  swim  the  fastest  and  for  the  feller 
whitch  can  swim  the  furtherest  under  water  and 
for  the  feller  whitch  can  note  the  best  without 
wigling  his  arms  and  legs,  i  bet  i  will  beat  sum 
of  the  fellers,  most  of  the  fellers  can  beat  me 
rassling  or  nocking  of  hats  or  running  or  gumping 
but  i  bet  i  will  show  them  sumthing  when  we 
come  to  race  in  swiming.  i  practised  today  diving 
until  my  head  aked  feerful. 

July  20.  the  race  is  to  be  next  Wensday. 
144 


"    S       e        q        n        i        I    " 

They  is  Pewt  and  Beany  and  Fatty  Gilman  and 
Fatty  Melcher.  Boog  and  Whack  and  Puzzy  was 
going  to  race  but  they  wanted  to  have  it  at  sandy 
bottum  and  we  fellers  wanted  to  have  the  diving 
mach  at  the  oak  and  the  swiming  under  water  at 
the  gravil  becaus  it  is  wider  there,  and  so  they 
was  mad  and  woodent  come  in.  Ennyway  sandy 
bottum  isent  wide  enuf  and  you  cant  tell  whether 
a  feller  is  swiming  one  foot  on  bottum.  today  i 
went  in  7  times,  ferst  i  practised  swiming  fast 
bullfrog  fashion,  next  i  practised  side  stroak 
next  i  practised  swiming  under  water,  i  swum  5 
times  acros  at  the  gravil.  then  i  practised  flote- 
ing,  but  i  cant  flote  without  keeping  my  hands 
moving,  ferst  my  feet  sink  and  when  i  get 
straight  up  and  down  my  head  goes  under,  then 
i  div  until  my  head  aked  like  time  agen.  i  feel 
prety  tired  tonite. 

July  21.    rany  as  time,    i  only  went  in  swiming 
2   times  today  and   i   dident  dive  enny.    i  only 

145 


"    S        e        o        u        i        I 


99 


practised  swiming  fast  and  floteing.  i  coodent 
note,  in  every  boys  book  of  sports  and  amuze- 
ments  it  says  throw  yourself  on  your  back  and 
throw  your  head  back  and  hold  your  breth  and 
you  will  not  drownd  until  asistance  reeches  you. 
so  i  tride  it  today  but  i  coodent  hold  my  breth 
more  than  1  minit  and  as  soon  as  i  let  out  my 
breth  down  i  went  unless  i  kep  my  hands  moving, 
so  what  the  man  whitch  rote  that  book  said  aint 
so  unless  asistance  comes  in  1  minit. 

July  22.  brite  and  fair  and  hot  as  time.  Pewt 
thir.ks  he  is  going  to  beat  me  swiming.  i  gess  he 
will  find  out. 

July  23.  today  was  Sunday  and  i  coodent  prac- 
tise swiming  or  diving,  darn  it. 

July  24.  brite  and  fair,  i  only  went  in  swim- 
ing 2  times  today,  once  this  morning  and  once 
this  afternoon,  but  i  staid  in  all  the  morning  and 
all  the  afternoon  so  i  coodent  go  in  more  then  2 
times,  the  race  is  day  after  tomorow. 
146 


"    S       e        a       u       i       1 


99 


July  25.  brite  and  fair,  today  we  went  up  to 
Pewts  and  we  aranged  about  the  prises.  Pewt 
was  to  give  the  prises,  the  prise  for  swiming  fast 
was  a  bag  of  erly  apples  from  Pewts  garden,  the 
prise  for  swiming  under  water  was  a  gewsharp 
and  the  prise  for  the  best  diver  was  a  cain  fishing 
pole  and  the  prise  for  floteing  was  a  arrow  rifle, 
we  all  give  5  cents  eech  to  buy  the  cain  pole, 
the  gewsharp  was  one  whitch  Pewt  had  and  the 
arrow  rifle  Pewt  had  made.  So  Pewt  he  said  as 
long  as  he  give  2  of  the  prises  he  was  to  have  the 
say  about  whitch  beat. 

July  26.  brite  and  fair,  the  fellers  plaid  a 
meen  trick  on  me  today,  the  meenist  i  ever  see. 
i  wont  ever  speak  to  enny  of  them  agen.  this 
morning  we  had  the  race,  ferst  we  had  the  fast 
race,  we  started  at  the  oak  and  swum  down  to 
the  gravil.  i  was  as  far  as  from  here  to  Beanys 
house  ahead,  so  i  got  the  apples.  Fatty  Melcher 
was  next  and   Pewt  was  next   and  Beany  and 

147 


"     S        e        q        n        1        1    " 

Fatty  Gilman  got  tired  and  went  ashore,  next  we 
had  the  floteing  mach.  Fatty  Gilman  noted  the 
longest  and  then  Beany  becaus  he  was  fat  two 
and  then  Pewt  and  then  Fatty  Melcher  and  then 
me.  i  was  the  wirst  and  the  fellers  all  howled  at 
me.  so  Fatty  Gilman  he  got  the  arrow  rifle, 
i  dont  cair.  then  we  went  back  to  the  oak  to 
have  the  diving  mach.  after  we  had  div  Beany 
and  Fatty  Melcher  they  said  i  div  the  best  and 
Pewt  and  Fatty  Gilman  said  Pewt  div  the  best, 
then  Pewt  giv  himself  the  prise  becaus  he  had  the 
say.  i  was  prety  mad.  then  we  went  down  to 
the  gravil  to  have  the  swiming  under  water  mach 
so  i  went  ferst  and  i  swum  from  the  going  in 
place  on  Moltons  field  to  the  elm  tree  on  old  Nat 
Gilmans  side  and  when  i  come  up  and  looked 
round  they  wasent  enny  feller  ennywhere.  so  i 
swum  back  prety  lively  and  my  close  was  gone 
and  the  apples  and  the  gewsharp  and  the  fellers 
two.  so  i  dident  know  what  to  do.  i  thougt 
148 


**■  8      e      n      u      f      1   '* 

they  had  hid  the  close  and  i  hunted  in  the 
buches  but  i  dident  find  them,  so  i  wated  a  long 
time  and  bimeby  i  heard  sum  oars  and  i  looked 
and  i  saw  a  bote  with  a  feller  and  2  girls,  so  i 
coodent  holler  and  i  hid  behind  a  tree,  so  they 
went  by  and  then  i  come  out  and  i  walked  back 
to  the  oak  and  when  i  got  there  i  found  sum 
girls  picking  dasies  and  i  lay  down  behind  the 
fence  and  just  then  a  hornet  stung  me  2  times 
and  i  yelled  and  gumped  rite  up  and  danced 
round  before  i  thougt  and  then  i  see  them  and  i 
hipered  back  to  the  gravil,  they  hipered  two  the 
other  way  you  bet.  well  i  set  there  in  the  shade 
for  a  long  time  until  i  got  kind  of  cold  and  then  i 
set  in  the  sun.  i  thougt  sum  of  the  fellers  wood 
come  in  swiming,  but  nobody  come,  i  knowed  if 
i  wated  til  dark  i  cood  get  home  all  rite,  only  i 
wood  get  a  licking  for  scaring  the  folks  most  to 
deth  for  they  wood  think  i  was  drownded.  well 
jest  then  i  heard  sum  fellers  talking  up  by  the 

149 


"    S       e       a       u      i      1 


99 


oak  and  i  went  up  and  there  was  Potter  Goram 
and  Chick  Chickering.  they  had  been  fishing  and 
had  cougt  sum  buly  pikeril.  well  i  holered  to 
them  and  they  come  down  where  i  was  and  i 
told  them  about  the  meen  trick  the  fellers  had 
plaid  on  me  and  Potter  he  said  he  wood  go  home 
for  sum  close  and  he  give  me  his  jaket  and  then 
he  hipered  acros  the  field  and  me  and  Chick  be- 
gan to  fish  and  i  cougt  a  pirch  and  a  eal  and 
Chick  he  cougt  2  roach,  then  Potter  he  come 
back  with  my  best  close  and  so  i  coodent  fish 
enny  more,  so  i  went  home  in  my  best  close, 
when  i  went  by  Pewts  he  holered  Plupy  has  got 
on  his  best  close,  i  dident  say  ennything.  so 
when  i  got  home  mother  asked  me  about  it  and  i 
told  her,  it  want  telltaily  eether.  so  mother  she 
told  me  to  go  up  to  Pewts  for  my  close  and  i  said 
if  Pewt  took  them  he  cood  bring  them  back  and 
Beany  and  Fatty  two.  so  at  super  father  he 
asked  me  why  i  had  got  on  my  best  close  and  i 
150 


"    S       e       q        n       i        1    •• 

told  him  and  he  said  if  Pewt  dident  bring  those 
close  back  in  about  5  minits  he  wood  go  up  and 
boot  him  down  to  our  house  and  back  agen  and 
jest  then  Mister  Purington  came  into  the  yard 
holding  Pewt  by  the  ear.  Pewt  he  had  the  close 
and  Mister  Purington  he  nocked  at  the  door  and 
he  asked  for  me  and  when  i  come  to  the  door  he 
made  Pewt  give  me  the  close  and  then  he  told 
Pewt  to  tell  me  he  was  sorry  for  what  he  had 
done  and  Pewt  he  dident  want  to  say  it  but 
Mister  Purington  most  lifted  Pewt  of  the  ground 
by  the  ear  and  then  Pewt  he  said  he  was  sorry 
kind  of  mad  like  and  Mister  Purington  lifted  him 
up  agen  til  Pewt  he  stood  on  his  tip  toes  and  his 
face  was  all  onesided  and  his  eyes  all  squinty  and 
then  he  had  to  say  it  over  agen  polite,  and  then 
Mister  Purington  he  led  Pewt  home  all  the  way 
by  the  ear.  i  thougt  i  shood  die.  it  sirved  Pewt 
jest  rite,  father  lafFed  when  i  told  him  how  the 
hornet  stung  me  and  how  the  girls  hipered. 

151 


"    S       e       «i       u 


** 


July  27.  brite  and  fair.  Pewt  cant  go  out  of 
the  yard  today,    i  dident  speak  to  Beany. 

July  28.  brite  and  fair,  i  am  going  with  Pot- 
ter and  Chick  Chickering  instead  of  Pewt  and 
Beany,    we  went  butterflying  today. 

July  29.  brite  and  fair,  nothing  to  wright 
today. 

July  30.  thunder  storm  rite  after  church,  i 
wish  it  had  been  rite  before. 

July  31.  tonite  a  man  come  down  to  see  father 
and  said  i  had  gumped  up  behind  a  fence  without 
my  close  on  and  scart  his  girls,  he  was  stoping 
at  the  beach  and  they  come  up  to  Mager  Blakes 
hotel,  well  father  called  me  in  and  i  told  the 
man  all  about  it  and  bimeby  he  begun  to  lafF  and 
he  said  it  was  a  prety  meen  trick  on  me  and  he 
shook  hands  with  me  and  he  was  glad  i  dident  do 
it  a  purpose  only  he  was  sorry  i  got  stung. 

Aug.  1.  me  and  Potter  and  Chick  went  fish- 
ing. Chick  fell  of  little  river  brige  with  his 
152 


tt 


S       e       a       n       i       1    " 


close  on.  Potter  caugt  a  whacking  snaping  tirtle. 
he  gave  it  to  Sam  Dire  and  he  cut  his  head  of 
after  it  was  cut  of  it  wood  bite  a  stick.  Sam  says 
it  wont  die  til  the  sun  goes  down,  he  says  that  if 
you  cut  a  snake  in  2  peaces  it  will  come  together 
agen  and  heel  up  and  be  as  good  as  ever,  me  and 
Potter  is  going  to  try  it. 

Aug.  2.  big  thunder  shower  last  nite.  we  all 
got  up  and  lit  lamps  and  set  round  in  our  nite 
sherts.  we  lit  all  the  lamps  we  cood  find  so  we 
coodent  see  the  litening.  father  kept  telling 
funny  stories,  but  mother  and  Aunt  Sarah  was 
scart  and  told  him  he  hadent  aught  to  joke  when 
enny  minit  he  mite  be  struck  by  litening.  father 
he  said  he  dident  beleave  the  litening  wood 
strike  him  enny  quicker  for  not  being  scart  of  it 
then  it  wood  if  he  gumped  and  holered  o  lord 
every  time  it  litened.  well  after  a  while  it  only 
litened  way  of  and  we  went  to  bed. 


153 


*•    S       e       q       n       i       1    " 

Aug.   3.     i  havent  spoke  to  Beany  yet  or  to 
Pewt  eether. 

Aug.  4.  this  morning  it  was  Friday,  we  have 
fish  chowder  Fridays,  i  dont  like  it  and  so  i  drink 
milk  and  father  wanted  the  milkman  to  go  down 
celler  to  try  some  of  his  vinegar,  mother  hangs 
the  wash  boiler  and  the  tin  pans  and  iron  kittles 
in  the  celler  way  and  when  ennyone  whitch  is  tall 
goes  down  celler  he  has  to  stupe  down  so  not  to 
nock  down  the  pans  and  kittles,  so  father  he  was 
down  celler  and  he  holered  for  the  milkman  to 
come  down  and  when  he  went  down  he  hit  his 
head  aginst  the  boiler  and  nocked  it  down  and  all 
the  kittles  and  pans  tumbled  down  on  his  head 
and  went  banging  down  into  the  celler  and  you 
never  heard  such  a  feerful  noise,  father  was  mad 
as  time,  but  after  the  milkman  was  gone  we  all 
laffed  as  if  we  wood  die.  mother  and  Aunt  Sarah 
had  to  set  down  they  laffed  so.  mother  said  it 
made  more  noise  then  the  thunder  did  last  nite. 
154 


"    S       e       q       11       i       I    V 

Aug.  5.  me  and  Cawcaw  Harding  has  got  a 
new  way  of  fishing  for  pikeril  when  we  are  in  a 
bote,  one  of  us  padles  the  bote  and  the  other 
skips  for  pikeril.  when  you  try  to  pull  a  pikeril 
into  a  bote  most  half  of  the  time  he  goes  over  the 
bote  into  the  water,  so  when  me  and  Cawcaw 
fishes  when  the  feller  which  is  skiping  gets  a  bite 
he  lets  him  have  it  a  minit  and  the  feller  whitch 
is  padling  the  bote  padles  towards  the  shore  and 
then  the  feller  whitch  is  skiping  gumps  rite  out 
as  soon  as  the  water  aint  over  his  head  and  gives 
a  big  yank,  and  the  pikeril  goes  saling  into  the 
field,  sumtimes  when  it  is  woods  the  line  gets 
tangled  all  up  in  a  tree  and  we  have  to  shin  up 
the  tree  or  cut  it  down  to  get  the  pikeril.  we  get 
prety  wet  but  we  dont  cair.  we  always  ring  out 
our  close  when  we  get  done  fishing  and  they  is 
most  dry  when  we  get  home,  today  the  bigest 
pikeril  we  caugt  got  up  in  a  tree  and  we  coodent 
shin  up  the  tree  and  we  coodent  plug  him  down 

155 


"    8        e        a        u        i        1 


** 


with  rocks  so  we  had  to  leeve  him  there,  we  got 
12  pikeril.    we  are  going  monday. 

Aug.  6.  brite  and  fair,  today  after  Sunday 
school  Beany  he  came  over  and  we  made  up.  this 
was  the  longest  time  i  ever  was  mad  with  Beany, 
i  am  glad  we  aint  mad  enny  more,  father  let  me 
go  to  ride  with  Mister  Watson  and  Beany  this 
afternoon,  we  went  down  to  the  beach  and  took 
our  lunchun.  when  we  was  coming  home  me  and 
Beany  got  most  asleep  and  our  legs  got  asleep 
two,  so  Mister  Watson  he  told  us  to  get  out  and 
walk  a  little  and  we  wood  be  all  rite  and  when 
we  got  out  he  whiped  up  his  horse  and  drove  of 
lively  and  made  me  and  Beany  walk  most  a  mile, 
we  kep  awake  after  that  you  bet.  i  had  a  good 
time. 

Aug.   7,  1 86—    clowdy  but  no  rane.    me  and 

Cawcaw  went  fishing  agen  today  in  the  bote  ferst 

i  padled  and  he  skiped  and  then  he  padeled  and  i 

skiped.    when  we  got  up  by  the  cove  i  got  a  bite 

156 


"    S        e        o        u        i        I 


99 


and  Cawcaw  he  padled  the  bote  towards  the 
shore  and  i  gumped  out  lively  and  gumped  into  a 
deep  place  and  went  down  way  under,  when  i 
came  up  Cawcaw  was  nearly  ded  he  laffed  so. 
well  i  held  onto  my  pole  and  swum  to  the  shore 
it  was  only  3  stroaks  and  i  sloshed  up  the  bank 
and  yanked  that  pikeril  way  into  the  buches.  he 
was  a  big  one.  Cawcaw  did  it  purpose,  sumtime 
i  am  going  to  rock  the  bote  sudding  when  Caw- 
caw is  standing  up  skiping  and  he  will  go  into 
the  river  kerswash. 

Aug.  8.  hot  as  time,  me  and  Beany  rung 
sum  more  doorbells  tonite.   we  dident  get  cougt. 

Aug.  9.  brite  and  fair.  Potter  Goram  can  stuf 
birds,  so  they  look  jest  like  they  was  alive,  he 
stufed  a  red  winged  blackbird  so  good  that  the 
cat  et  it  and  dide.  and  then  Potter  he  skun  the 
cat  and  stufed  her.  i  can  skin  the  cat  on  the 
horizondle  bar,  that  is  another  way. 

Aug.  10.    me  and  Beany  rung  sum  more  door- 

157 


"    S        e       q       u       1        1    " 

bells  tonite.  we  rung  old  Heads  doorbell  and 
then  we  tiptode  round  by  the  side  of  his  house 
into  Gim  Ellersons  yard  and  laid  down  behind  the 
current  bushes,  well  jest  as  old  Head  come  pil- 
ing out  mad  as  time  Pewt  and  Fatty  Melcher 
come  rite  by  and  old  Head  grabed  for  them  and 
Fatty  he  run  and  Pewt  got  cougt  and  old  Head 
he  jest  lammed  Pewt  with  his  cain  and  Pewt  hol- 
ered he  dident  do  it  and  old  Head  said  he  did 
and  then  he  give  Pewt  sum  good  bats  and  sent 
him  home  balling,  me  and  Beany  most  dide  only 
we  dident  dass  to  laff  out  loud,  jest  then  father 
come  out  to  see  what  Pewt  was  holering  about 
and  he  said  what  is  the  matter  Orrin  and  Mister 
Head  he  said  sum  cussid  boy  has  been  ringing 
my  door  bell  most  every  nite  and  i  cougt  him  to- 
nite and  licked  him  good,  and  father  he  said 
who  was  it,  and  Mister  Head  he  said  it  was  Brad 
Puringtons  boy,  and  father  said  i  am  glad  it  was- 
ent  my  boy  and  mister  Head  he  said  i  am  glad 
158 


"    S        e        q       u       i        1    M 

two  but  i  gess  your  boy  woodent  be  meen  enuf  to 
ring  doorbells  and  father  he  said  i  gess  he  wood- 
ent eether  and  then  they  went  in  and  me  and 
Beany  we  tiptode  up  Maple  street  and  down 
town  and  then  back  home  jest  as  if  we  had  been 
down  town  all  the  time,  that  was  a  good  one  on 
Pewt.  it  made  me  think  of  the  time  Mister  Wat- 
son Beanys  father  licked  Beany  when  we  rung  his 
doorbell  and  he  came  to  the  door  with  a  lamp  and 
the  wind  blowed  the  lamp  out  and  Mister  Watson 
he  bumped  his  head  on  the  door. 

Aug.  11.  brite  and  fair,  i  cant  help  laffing 
every  time  i  think  of  Pewt  getting  licked,  it  is  a 
good  one  on  Pewt. 

Aug.  12.  brite  and  fair,  tonite  me  and  Beany 
tride  the  same  trick  on  Nipper,  we  saw  Nip  go 
down  town  and  we  rung  Bill  Greenleefs  bell  2 
times  before  Nip  come  back,  we  hid  in  old  Ike 
Shutes  porch  and  peeked  out  of  a  little  window. 
Bill  he  come  out  and  run  round  the  side  of  the 

159 


"     S        e        q        u        i        1    V 

house  and  then  he  run  up  street  and  looked  be- 
hind trees  and  fences  and  swoar  terible.  me  and 
Beany  near  dide.  he  was  so  mad  that  he  staid  up 
til  nearly  10  oh  clock  waching.  we  cood  see  him 
peeking  out  of  the  window  and  we  dident  dass  to 
go  home  til  after  10  oh  clock  and  i  got  licked  for 
being  late,  if  Nipper  had  only  come  home  when 
he  had  aught  to  Bill  wood  have  cougt  him  and 
licked  him  and  we  wood  have  got  home  all  rite. 
we  will  pay  Nip  for  this. 

Aug.  13.  brite  and  fair,  nothing  but  church 
today. 

Aug.  14.  brite  and  fair,  i  coodent  go  out  of 
the  yard  today.  Beany  he  come  over  and  we  are 
going  to  ring  old  man  Hobbses  door  bell  tomor- 
ow  nite.    old  man  Hobbs  is  Prisils  uncle. 

Aug.  15.    brite  and  fair,  and  hot  as  time,    to- 

nite  we  rung  old  man  Hobbses  door  bell  2  times. 

it  was  auful  funny,    the  ferst  time  he  come  out 

kind  of  slow  with  a  lamp,    me  and  Beany  were 

160 


"    S       e        q        n       i        1    " 

rite  on  the  other  side  of  the  street  laying  down  in 
the  long  grass,  well  he  looked  all  round  and 
walked  out  to  the  end  of  the  piaza  and  then  he 
went  in  mutering.  bimeby  we  rung  it  agen  and 
out  he  come  prety  lively  but  he  dident  catch  us. 
if  he  was  as  lively  as  Bill  Greenleef  he  wood  have 
cougt  us.  well  he  went  round  the  house  and  then 
old  Missis  Hobbs  she  came  to  the  door  and  said 
what  is  it  William,  and  he  said  it  is  some  more  of 
that  Purington  boys  deviltry,  and  she  said  i  wood 
speek  to  his  father  and  old  Hobbs  he  said  he 
wood  and  then  they  went  in.  jest  as  we  was  go- 
ing to  ring  the  bell  agen  a  man  come  walking 
quick  down  the  street  and  went  up  to  the  door 
and  rung  the  bell  and  jest  as  the  bell  rung  old 
Hobbs  opened  the  door  quick  and  gumped  out 
and  grabed  the  man  and  said  you  rascul  i  have 
got  you  and  the  man  said  you  old  fool  are  you 
crasy  and  then  old  Hobbs  he  said  i  thougt  it  was 
that  Purinton  boy  ringing  my  door  bell  and  then 

161 


**    S        e        q        n        i        1    " 

the  man  went  in  the  house  and  we  wated  til  they 
had  shet  the  door  and  we  put  for  home  and  made 
sum  sweet  firn  segars.  tomorow  old  Hobbs  is  go- 
ing to  tell  Pewts  father,  i  never  had  so  much  fun 
in  my  life. 

Aug.  16.  brite  and  fair,  today  Pewt  come 
down  to  the  house  and  said  where  was  you  last 
nite  and  i  said  me  and  Beany  was  making  sweet 
firn  segars  over  to  Beanys  and  i  gave  him  2  se- 
gars. then  Pewt  he  said  that  old  Hobbs  come 
down  to  his  house  today  and  told  his  father  he 
rung  his  doorbell  2  times  and  Pewt  said  he  did- 
ent  and  his  father  said  he  dident  beleeve  him  and 
was  going  to  lick  time  out  of  him  if  he  had  and 
he  did  it.  Pewt  was  prety  mad  and  i  was  prety 
surprized  you  bet.  this  afternoon  they  was  a  thun- 
der storm,  after  it  was  over  we  went  fishing  but 
dident  get  a  bite. 

Aug.  17.  brite  and  fair,  went  up  to  Whacks 
this  morning  and  Boog  and  Puzzy  had  2  fites. 
162 


"    S       e        q        11        i        I    " 

neether  licked  becaus  old  miss  Finton  come  out 
and  stoped  them.  Boog  got  a  bludy  nose  the  sec- 
ond fite.  in  the  afternoon  i  went  fishing  with 
Cawcaw.  i  dident  get  a  chance  to  tip  him  over 
but  we  cougt  5  pikeril.  tomorow  nite  me  and 
Beany  are  going  to  ring  sum  doorbells. 

Aug.  18.  clowdy  but  no  rane.  jest  the  rite 
day  to  go  fishing,  i  was  going  with  Cawcaw  but 
he  was  sick  becaus  he  et  to  many  apples  up  to 
Whacks,  tonite  Beany  coodent  go  out  of  the  yard 
becaus  he  dident  split  sum  kindlings  so  we  did- 
ent ring  enny  doorbells,  it  was  a  prety  meen  day. 
all  the  fun  i  had  was  going  in  swiming. 

Aug.  19-  prety  hot  today,  i  went  in  swiming 
5  times,  sumthing  is  the  matter  with  my  eyes  i 
keep  winking  them  all  the  time,  father  keeps 
saying  stop  batting  your  eyes,  i  gess  it  is  becaus 
i  keep  opening  my  eyes  under  water  to  see  things 
on  bottum.  father  says  if  i  dont  stop  it  i  shant  go 
in  swiming  enny  more. 

163 


•*    S       e       q       n       i       1    *♦ 

Aug.  20.  it  raned  this  morning  so  hard  that  i 
dident  have  to  go  to  church,    buly. 

Aug.  2h  brite  and  fair,  tonite  me  and  Beany 
rung  old  Missis  Sawyers  bell,  when  she  come  out 
with  the  lamp  we  run  into  Pewts  yard  and  then 
into  Nat  Weeks,  she  went  in  and  come  out  agen 
with  a  shorl  on  and  went  rite  over  to  mister  Pur- 
intons  and  nocked  at  the  door,  we  was  near 
enuf  to  hear  evrything.  when  Pewts  father  come 
to  the  door  she  said  i  think  things  has  come  to  a 
prety  pass  if  peeple  cant  keep  there  boy  from 
trubling  there  nabors.  and  then  Mr.  Purinton 
Pewts  father  said  what  is  the  matter  and  Missis 
Sawyer  she  said  your  boy  has  been  ringing  my 
doorbell  and  Pewts  father  he  said  how  do  you 
know  he  did  it  and  Missis  Sawyer  she  said  i  see 
him  run  rite  into  your  yard,  and  so  Pewts  father 
he  come  out  and  went  round  the  yard  but  cood- 
ent  find  ennybody.  so  he  said  praps  it  was  the 
Watson  boy  or  the  Shute  boy  and  she  said  praps 
164 


"    S       e       <i       n       i       1    " 

it  was  becaus  she  had  heard  they  was  prety  bad 
boys,  then  Pewts  father  said  it  was  a  mersy  if 
they  dident  both  get  into  jale  and  she  said  she 
gessed  the  Shute  boy  was  a  trial  to  his  father  and 
mother  and  Pewts  father  he  said  he  gessed  the 
Watson  boy  was  two.  then  he  said  if  he  was 
her  he  wood  go  rite  down  and  see  there  fathers, 
when  me  and  Beany  heard  that  we  clim  over  Nat 
Weeks  fence  esy  and  put  for  home,  when  we  got 
there  they  was  nobody  in  Beanys  kichen  and  we 
went  in  esy  and  got  the  sweet  firn  and  begun  to 
make  sweet  firn  segars.  bimeby  we  heard  old 
Missis  Sawyer  blabing  to  Beanys  mother  and  she 
said  she  wood  go  in  and  see  if  Elly  was  in  and 
when  she  come  in  Beany  said  mother  jest  see 
how  many  segars  me  and  Plupy  has  made  and  he 
held  up  a  lot  that  we  made  last  week  and  she 
said  you  boys  must  have  wirked  a  long  time  and 
Beany  he  said  it  takes  a  good  deal  of  time  to  make 
so  many  and  she  went  back  looking  prety  pleased 

165 


"    S       e       a       m       i       1 


9* 


becaus  she  thougt  Beany  dident  ring  the  old  door- 
bell and  she  told  old  Missis  Sawyer  that  we  had 
been  making  sweet  firn  segars  all  the  evening  in 
the  kitchin.  so  old  Missis  Sawyer  went  home 
kind  of  mad  becaus  it  wasent  me  and  Beany 
whitch  rung  her  doorbell  ennyway  she  thougt  it 
wasent. 

Aug.  22.    brite  and  fair. 

Aug.  23.  brite  and  fair,  tonite  me  and  Pewt 
and  Beany  and  Fatty  Gilman  and  Fatty  Melcher 
and  Billy  Swett  and  Gim  Erly  and  lots  of  the  fel- 
lers come  up  and  plaid  i  spy  the  bull,  one  feller 
lays  it  and  he  shets  his  eyes  at  the  gool  and 
counts  fifty  and  the  rest  of  the  fellers  go  and 
hide  and  when  he  has  counted  fifty  he  trys  to  find 
the  fellers  and  tag  his  gool  before  they  do.  they 
is  a  stick  leening  agenst  the  gool  and  if  one  of 
the  fellers  can  get  to  the  gool  ferst  he  can  plug 
the  stick  as  far  as  he  can  and  the  feller  whitch  is 
laying  it  has  to  run  and  get  the  stick  and  go 
166 


"    S       e       q       n       i       1    •» 

back  to  the  gool  and  leeve  the  stick  there  be- 
fore he  can  find  enny  more  fellers  and  if  enny  fel- 
lers has  been  cougt  they  can  hide  agen.  so  tonite 
we  plaid  it  til  nine  oh  clock  and  i  had  laid  it 
most  an  hour  when  Pewt  pluged  the  stick  and  hit 
old  Bill  Morril  rite  in  the  head  jest  as  he  came 
round  the  corner  and  he  was  mad  as  time  and  we 
put  for  home  jest  lively.  Pewt  dident  meen  to  do 
it.  Bill  hadent  aught  to  have  been  coming  round 
the  corner  jest  then  enny  way.  Bill  told  father 
they  was  the  tufest  set  of  boys  in  the  naborhood 
he  ever  see.  i  was  behind  the  current  buches 
when  Bill  told  father  this  and  he  showed  father 
his  old  plug  hat  whitch  was  all  dented  in.  father 
he  said  well  Bill  we  usted  to  make  things  prety 
lively  when  we  was  boys,  then  he  told  Bill  that 
he  usted  to  ask  his  father  if  he  cood  go  over  and 
sleep  with  Gim  Melcher  and  his  father  wood  say 
yes,  and  Gim  Melcher  he  wood  ask  his  father  if 
he  cood  go  over  and  sleep  with  father  and  Gims 

167 


"    S       e        q       u       i        1    " 

father  wood  say  yes,  and  they  wood  stay  out  all 
nite  and  raise  time,  and  Gims  father  he  wood 
think  Gim  was  over  to  fathers  house,  and  fathers 
father  wood  think  father  was  over  to  Gims  house 
and  so  they  woodent  get  cougt.  that  wood  be  a 
prety  good  trick  for  me  and  Beany  to  try  only 
father  wood  know  two  mutch,  i  gess  that  is  the 
reason  father  finds  out  so  mutch  about  me  becaus 
he  was  prety  tuf  when  he  was  a  boy.  i  gess  that 
is  the  reson  why  ministers  boys  is  most  always  tuf 
becaus  there  fathers  dont  know  how  to  find  out 
what  tuf  things  they  do.  i  wish  i  was  a  ministers 
son  so  i  cood  be  tuf  and  not  get  found  out,  only  i 
wood  have  to  go  to  church  3  times  evry  Sunday. 
Aug.  25.  brite  and  fair,  i  wish  i  was  ded.  a  fel- 
ler might  as  well  be  ded  as  to  be  getting  licked 
all  time  for  nuthing.  tonite  me  and  Beany  wated 
till  it  was  dark  and  we  saw  Bill  Greenlef  go  down 
town,  then  we  tide  a  string  to  his  doorbell  and 
hiched  the  other  end  to  old  printer  Smiths  door 
168 


"    S        e        q       n       i        I    " 

on  the  other  side  of  the  street  and  hauled  it  tite. 
bimeby  Bill  he  come  back  and  went  in  the  side 
door,  then  a  man  came  by  driving  a  horse  and 
when  the  horse  run  agenst  the  string  both  door- 
bells rung  before  the  string  broak  and  out  come 
Bill  and  old  printer  Smith,  when  they  found  they 
wasent  ennyone  there  they  was  prety  mad.  Bill 
he  run  round  looking  behind  fences  and  trees  and 
old  printer  he  swoar  terible  and  went  through 
Miss  Sulivans  and  over  to  Nipper  Browns  and  all 
round,  me  and  Beany  was  hiding  in  Ike  Shutes 
porch,  bimeby  they  come  back  and  talked.  Bill 
said  they  must  be  2  of  them  and  old  printer  he 
said  it  was  about  time  this  thing  was  stoped  and 
he  was  going  to  find  out  who  did  it  if  it  took 
him  all  summer,  well  bimeby  they  went  in  to 
wate  and  see  if  ennyone  rung  there  doorbells  sum 
more.  Bill  he  said  he  wood  leeve  his  door  open 
jest  a  little  and  old  printer  Smith  he  said  he  wood 
leeve  his  open  jest  a  little  two  so  he  cood  gump 

169 


"    S       e       a       u       i       1    " 


out  and  lam  time  out  of  the  feller  whitch  rung 
his  bell,  well  bimeby  me  and  Beany  crep  out  esy 
and  hunted  round  til  we  found  the  string  and  we 
tide  it  agen  as  tite  as  we  cood  and  then  we  crep 
back  into  the  porch  and  peeked  through  the  win- 
dow, bimeby  old  mister  Lyford  come  up  the  side- 
walk and  when  he  come  to  the  string  it  gerked 
his  old  plug  hat  of  and  he  picked  it  up  and 
brushed  it  and  then  went  of.  bimeby  a  hack 
came  by  and  when  it  hit  the  string  both  door 
bells  gingled  feerful  and  Bill  and  old  printer 
Smith  came  hipering  out  as  if  they  was  hiched  to 
the  string.  Bill  went  to  gump  of  the  side  of  the 
steps  and  he  got  the  string  round  his  leg  and 
went  nuking  and  then  holered  to  old  printer 
Smith  that  they  was  a  string  tide  to  his  door  bell 
and  printer  he  holered  back  that  they  was  one 
tide  to  his  two.  then  they  swoar  and  talked  sum 
and  jest  then  Pewts  father  come  out  and  they 
said  it  was  Pewt  and  old  Missis  Sawyer  she  come 
170 


nil 


99 


out  and  she  said  it  was  Pewt  two.  well  then  they 
begun  to  hunt  and  look  behind  trees  and  into 
doorways  and  me  and  Beany  got  prety  scart  and 
bimeby  we  opened  the  door  esy  and  hipered 
round  Ikes  house  and  ran  rite  into  old  printer 
and  he  grabed  us  both  by  the  neck  and  holered 
i  have  got  the  misable  cusses  and  he  draged  us 
out  to  the  lite  and  Bill  and  Brad  said  it  is  George 
Shutes  boy  and  Irv  Watsons  boy  and  they  shook 
us  up  lively,  well  old  Missis  Sawyer  wanted  them 
to  take  us  to  jale  but  Pewts  father  and  Bill  and 
printer  said  to  take  us  down  to  our  fathers  and  so 
printer  held  us  by  the  neck  and  marched  us  down 
the  street  and  Pewts  father  and  Bill  come  along 
two  and  old  Missis  Sawyer  she  came  taging  along 
talking  all  the  time  that  we  was  the  wirst  boys  in 
town,  we  went  down  to  fathers  ferst  and  he  come 
out  and  Bill  he  went  over  and  called  mister  Wat- 
son, well  he  come  over  and  they  all  went  into  the 
back   yard   and   they  told    father  about   it   and 

171 


"     S        e       q        u       i        I    •• 

Missis  Sawyer  said  she  was  going  to  have  us 
arested  and  father  he  said  if  she  wanted  to  arest 
me  all  rite  but  he  wood  get  a  lawyer  and  carry  the 
case  to  the  circus  coart  if  it  took  evry  cent  he  had 
and  Mister  Watson  he  said  so  two.  and  father 
he  said  he  woodent  have  his  boy  distirbing  his 
nabors  and  he  wood  lick  me  and  make  me  beg 
evrybodys  pardon,  but  it  wasent  merder  or  hyway 
robery  to  ring  doorbells  and  if  they  wanted  to 
arest  me  to  sale  rite  in,  and  Mister  Watson  he 
said  so  two.  then  father  and  Mister  Watson 
marched  us  up  to  old  Hobbs  and  made  us  beg 
his  pardon  and  old  Hobbs  told  father  we  was  the 
wirst  boys  in  town  and  father  aught  to  whale 
the  life  out  of  us,  and  then  we  went  down  to 
Pewts  and  had  to  beg  his  pardon  for  getting  him 
a  licking  and  then  we  went  over  to  mister  Heads 
and  begged  his  pardon  two.  then  father  took  me 
into  the  kichin  and  give  me  a  licking  for  eech 
doorbell  that  we  rung,  he  give  me  a  good  one  for 
172 


"    S       e       <|       u       i       I    " 

Missis  Sawyer  becaus  she  was  a  woman  and  he 
said  we  dident  have  enny  bizness  to  plage  a 
woman,  and  he  give  me  a  prety  good  one  for  Bill 
becaus  Bill  was  a  prety  good  feller,  and  he  only 
hit  me  one  lick  for  old  Hobbs  becaus  he  was 
mad  at  what  old  Hobbs  said  and  he  dident  hit 
me  a  lick  for  mister  Head  becaus  Pewt  got  licked 
for  it  and  he  said  Pewt  had  aught  to  have  been 
licked  so  many  times  when  he  dident  that  one 
licking  one  way  or  the  other  woodent  make  much 
diference.  the  wirst  was  when  i  had  to  beg  Pewts 
pardon,    i  wood  rather  get  2  lickings. 

Aug.  26,  186-  Brite  and  fair,  tonite  i  asked 
father  about  him  and  Gim  Melcher  staying  out 
all  nite  and  he  laffed  and  said  it  was  trew.  then 
i  asked  him  how  menny  times  he  did  it  and  he 
said  all  the  times  he  wanted  to  becaus  his  father 
thougt  he  was  a  beter  boy  then  he  was.  well  i 
asked  him  if  i  cood  stay  out  all  nite  sum  time  and 
he  said  no.    then  he  said  i  woodent  dass  to  and  i 

173 


"    S       e       o       n       i       1    " 


said  i  bet  i  wood,  then  he  said  i  cood  if  i  wanted 
to  and  then  mother  she  said  George  are  you  crasy 
and  he  said  no  but  he  gessed  after  i  had  been  out 
a  while  i  wood  be  homesick,  so  after  super  i 
asked  Beany  and  Beany  he  asked  his  father  and 
he  told  his  father  what  father  said  and  bimeby 
Mister  Watson  Beanys  father  he  said  Beany  cood 
stay  out  if  i  cood.  so  we  are  going  to  stay  out 
Monday  nite. 

Aug.  27.    brite  and  fair,    nothing  but  church. 

Aug.  28.  rany  as  time,  jest  the  luck,  i  cood- 
ent  sleep  enny  last  nite  thinking  about  staying 
out  all  nite.  ennyway  i  dident  go  to  sleep  til 
most  morning  and  when  i  woke  up  it  was  raning 
hard,  and  it  raned  hard  all  day.  it  has  stoped 
now.    they  wasent  enny  fun  today. 

Aug.  29.    brite  and  fair,    i  am  wrighting  this 

in  the  morning  becaus  i  shall  be  to  bizzy  tonite 

to  wright  ennything.     i  bet  me  and  Beany  will 

have  sum  fun.    last  nite  father  said  they  was  a 

174 


"     S        e        o        u        i        I 


99 


tiger  got  out  of  a  circus  and  he  kind  of  thougt  it 
was  somewhere  in  the  Eddy  woods,  i  aint  afrade. 
Beany  aint  neether. 

Aug.  30.  brite  and  fair,  i  gess  i  wont  try  to 
stay  out  all  nite  agen.  it  aint  enny  fun.  yester- 
day afternoon  mother  made  me  go  to  bed  so  i 
woodent  be  sleepy  at  nite  and  Beanys  mother  she 
did  two.  i  coodent  sleep  and  bimeby  i  got  up 
and  stuck  my  head  out  of  the  window  and  looked 
over  to  Beanys  house  and  Beany  he  was  looking 
out  of  his  window  and  bimeby  Potter  and  Caw- 
caw  went  by  with  their  fish  poles  and  you  bet  i 
wanted  to  go  two,  but  i  had  to  stay  in  my  room, 
so  Beany  and  i  begun  to  holler  acrost  to  each 
other  and  i  made  up  this  poitry  about  Beany, 

fat  pork  and  beens 

thats  what  it  meens 

that  Beanys  got  the  belyake 

from  fat  pork  and  beens. 

175 


"    S       e       «       u       i       1    »• 


and  then  Beany  he  made  up  this  poitry  about  me, 

Plupy  Shute  is  meener  than  Pewt 
and  he  is  a  prety  meen  galoot. 

then  mother  made  me  go  in  a  room  on  the  other 
side  of  the  house,  but  i  coodent  sleep  and  she  let 
me  get  up  at  super  time,  when  father  come 
home  he  said  the  tiger  had  carrid  of  and  et  up  a 
bull  over  to  Kingston  and  he  gessed  he  was  com- 
ing this  way,  but  i  wasent  scart.  well  after  super 
i  split  my  kindlings  and  me  and  Beany  went 
down  town,  we  went  to  doctor  Derborns  store 
and  got  sum  soda  water  and  Beany  he  paid  for  it. 
then  we  got  sum  goozeberries  of  old  Si  Smiths 
and  i  paid  for  them  and  then  we  went  over  to 
Beanys  and  got  a  lot  of  sweet  firn  segars  and 
then  we  went  down  town  agen.  we  went  into 
stores  and  looked  at  things  and  we  went  down  to 
the  warf  and  then  we  went  acrost  to  the  raceway 
and  went  in  swiming.  it  was  kind  of  cold  and  we 
176 


"    S       e       a       u 


99 


dident  stay  in  very  long,  then  it  began  to  be 
dark  and  we  went  back  to  water  street  and  staid 
in  the  stores  til  the  nine  oh  clock  bell  rung  and 
then  we  went  back  home,  the  folks  was  all  set- 
ting on  the  front  steps,  so  me  and  Beany  set 
down  two  and  bimeby  the  folks  said  they  must 
go  in  and  they  all  went  in  and  shet  the  door,  it 
made  me  feel  lonesum  when  i  herd  them  lock 
the  door,  it  must  be  prety  tuf  on  fellers  whitch 
havent  got  enny  home,  then  me  and  Beany  went 
over  to  his  house  and  set  on  the  steps  til  his  folks 
went  in  and  shet  the  door  and  then  we  set  on 
the  fence  under  the  gas  lite  and  we  herd  Nat 
Weeks  come  home  and  mister  Gewell  and  bimeby 
Si  Smith  shet  up  his  store  and  then  it  begun  to 
be  loansum.  so  we  went  down  as  fer  as  the 
swamscot  house  and  they  was  a  lite  in  sum  of  the 
rooms  and  we  set  down  on  old  Kellogs  steps  and 
talked,  bimeby  old  Straton  the  gas  man  come 
round  with  a  little  ladder  and  clim  up  and  put  out 

177 


"    S        e        q       u        i        1    " 

the  gas  and  then  it  was  prety  dark,  then  Beany 
he  said  less  go  up  to  Pewts  and  yowl  like  cats, 
so  we  went  up  into  Pewts  garden  and  we  begun 
to  yowl  feerful  like  cats  and  bimeby  Pewts  father 
opened  a  window  and  holered  scat  you  devils  and 
jest  then  Nat  Weeks  he  stuck  his  head  out  and 
he  holered  scat  two.  and  then  we  kep  still  a 
minit  and  Pewts  father  said  i  wish  there  wasent  a 
cussid  cat  alive  and  Nat  Weeks  he  said  so  two 
and  then  they  went  to  bed  agen.  bimeby  we  be- 
gun to  yowl  agen  and  then  we  yowled  jest  like 
cats  fiting  and  Pewts  father  opened  the  window 
agen  and  pluged  a  club  out  into  the  yard  and 
holered  scat  and  then  we  kep  still  and  we  herd 
him  tell  Nat  Weeks  that  he  had  got  his  gun 
loded  and  if  he  herd  it  go  of  he  needent  be  sir- 
prized,  so  you  bet  we  dident  yowl  agen.  so  after 
Pewts  father  and  Nat  Weeks  had  gone  to  bed 
agen  we  clim  over  the  fence  esy  and  went  of  up 
towards  Gilmans  barn.  Beany  stumped  me  to  go 
178 


m    S       e        q        ii        i        1    " 

as  fer  as  the  barn  and  we  was  going  there  when  i 
thougt  of  the  tiger  and  told  Beany  about  it.  we 
wasent  afrade  but  they  wasent  enny  fun  in  going 
down  to  the  barn  so  we  went  back  down  towards 
the  high  school  yard  and  it  was  prety  dark  there 
and  so  we  dident  go  down  to  set  on  the  steps, 
bimeby  it  struck  eleven  oh  clock,  ferst  the  town 
clock  and  jest  after  it  the  factory  bell  an  then  we 
cood  hear  clocks  striking  in  the  houses  on  the 
street,  i  tell  you  it  made  me  feel  loansum.  we 
coodent  see  enny  lites  in  the  houses,  so  we  set  on 
the  steps  and  told  stories  and  talked  about  the 
fellers  and  the  girls.  Beany  said  he  gessed  he 
wood  mary  Lizzie  Tole,  Ed  Toles  sister  sum  day. 
i  bet  he  wont,  then  Beany  he  said  when  he  was 
a  man  he  wood  by  the  club  stable  and  have  all 
the  horses  he  wanted  to  drive,  and  i  cood  wirk 
for  him  if  i  dident  get  drunk  [curiously  enough, 
the  first  two  statements  in  this  prophecy  came 
true]  like  most  of  the  hostlers,    i  told  him  that  i 

179 


"    S        e        q        11        i        1    " 


wasent  going  to  wirk  for  ennybody  for  i  was  go- 
ing to  play  in  the  band  like  Bruce  Brigam,  Scotty 
Brigams  brother,  bimeby  we  herd  sum  real  cats 
yowling  and  it  sounded  sort  of  feerful.  Cele  read 
us  a  story  when  we  was  sick  with  the  scarlet 
fever  about  a  man  whitch  had  a  black  cat  and  he 
got  mad  with  her  and  cut  out  one  eye.  then  he 
got  mad  with  his  wife  and  cut  her  throte  and 
stuck  her  up  in  the  chimny  in  the  celler  and 
pluged  up  the  hole,  bimeby  the  polisemen  come 
to  find  out  where  his  wife  was  and  they  hunted 
evry  where  in  the  house  and  stable  and  hen  koop 
and  evrywhere  and  bimeby  they  wanted  to  go 
into  his  celler.  so  the  man  he  said  all  rite  fellers 
come  rite  down  and  so  the  polisemen  went  down 
celler  with  him  and  he  showed  them  all  over  the 
celler  and  they  looked  evrywhere  and  coodent 
find  ennything  and  jest  as  they  was  going  out 
they  herd  a  feerful  yowl  and  they  stoped  and  lis- 
sened  and  it  kept  on  yowling  in  the  chimny  and 
180 


"    S       e       a       u       i       1    " 


when  they  took  a  pickax  and  wanted  to  dig  a 
hole  in  the  chimny  the  man  whitch  killed  his 
wife  said  they  wasent  ennything  in  the  chimny 
for  it  hadent  been  opened  for  1  hundred  years^ 
but  they  cut  open  the  chimny  and  what  do  you 
gess  they  found,  well  they  found  his  wife  with 
her  throte  cut  and  a  old  black  cat  with  1  eye  out 
setting  on  her  showlder  yowling,  so  they  grabed 
the  man  and  punched  time  out  of  him  and  they 
hung  him  to  a  lampost.  well  when  Cele  read 
that  story  to  us  we  all  was  wirse  for  3  days  and 
Annie  never  got  over  it  and  when  i  hear  a  cat 
yowl  i  think  of  what  the  polisemen  found  in  the 
chimny.  so  when  i  herd  the  cat  yowling  i  told 
Beany  that  story  and  Beany  he  dident  want  to  go 
of  of  my  steps  enny  more,  bimeby  the  town 
clock  struck  12  oh  clock  and  so  it  was  morning 
and  so  we  tost  up  to  see  whether  Beany  shood 
wait  til  i  got  in  my  house  or  i  shood  go  over  to 
Beanys  to  wait  til  Beany  got  into  his  house  ferst 

181 


66 


S       e       o       u       i        1    " 


i  lost  jest  as  i  always  do  and  so  i  had  to  go  over 
to  Beanys  and  he  tride  the  door  and  it  was  un- 
locked and  so  Beany  he  went  in  and  i  hipered 
acrost  the  road  as  quick  as  i  cood  and  went  in 
the  back  way.  i  wasent  afrade  only  i  wasent  go- 
ing to  have  Beany  beat  me  in  geting  into  bed. 
i  went  up  stairs  as  esy  as  i  cood  but  when  i  went 
by  mothers  room  she  said  is  that  you  Harry  and  i 
said  yes  and  she  said  are  you  going  out  agen  and 
i  said  no  it  is  morning  now  and  i  am  going  to  bed 
and  she  laffed  and  said  good  mornin.  then  i  piled 
into  bed  and  dident  wake  up  til  10  oh  clock. 
Beany  dident  get  up  til  12  oh  clock,  father 
saved  a  mans  life  today  in  Boston,  he  was  a  old 
man  whitch  tride  to  get  on  a  train  whitch  had 
started  and  father  saw  he  was  going  to  tumble  of 
and  get  killed  and  he  run  and  grabed  him  and 
the  old  man  tride  to  pull  away  and  holered  and 
the  trane  was  going  faster  and  father  had  to  run 
and  push  the  old  man  and  he  grabed  him  by  the 
182 


"    S        e        a       u 


99 


seet  of  his  britches  and  give  him  a  hist  and 
piched  him  rite  into  the  door  of  the  car  and  then 
father  he  gumped  of.  evrybody  said  the  old  man 
wood  be  killed  if  it  hadent  been  for  father. 

Aug.  31.  i  bet  Beanys  father  never  saved  a 
mans  life,  i  bet  Pewts  never  did  neether.  i  asked 
father  if  he  xpected  the  old  man  to  give  him  a 
good  deel  of  mony  for  it  or  a  gold  wach,  and 
father  he  said  the  conscenceless  of  having  did  a 
noble  act  is  enuf  reward.  Gosh  if  i  had  saved  a 
old  mans  life  i  wood  have  made  him  pay  me. 
i  wood  have  grabed  him  and  said  old  man  pay  me 
2  dolars  or  of  goes  your  hind  legs,  i  realy  wood- 
ent  let  him  drop  but  i  wood  have  scart  him  til  he 
give  me  2  dolars.  father  he  said  that  wood  be 
hyway  robery.    i  dont  care. 

Sept.  1.  brite  and  fair,  they  was  a  peace  in 
the  Boston  paper  today  about  father,  it  said 
heroik  rescu  of  a  old  man  and  it  told  about 
father  saving  the  old  mans  life,     lots  of  peeple 

183 


"     S       e       q       u       i       1    " 

spoke  to  father  about  it.  father  walked  down 
town  tonite  3  times,  he  most  never  goes  down, 
father  is  going  to  take  me  to  Boston  tomorow  if  i 
behaive  myself  and  dont  do  as  i  did  before. 

Sept.  9,,  186-  i  had  to  get  up  feerful  erly  this 
morning,  after  brekfast  me  and  father  rode  up 
to  the  depo  in  Joe  Parmers  hack,  while  we  was 
wating  for  the  trane  Charles  Talor  and  Charles 
Gray  and  all  the  fellers  began  to  pich  into  father 
jest  fun  like  and  father  got  the  best  of  them  evry 
time.  You  cood  here  them  holler  about  a  mile, 
then  the  trane  come  and  we  piled  in.  evrybody 
knowed  father  and  called  him  George  and  evry- 
body piched  into  him  and  he  ansered  back  so 
that  he  made  evrybody  laff.  that  was  the  way  it 
was  all  the  way  to  Boston,  when  we  got  to  Bos- 
ton we  went  into  a  bird  store  and  staid  a  while 
and  then  father  took  me  out  to  see  a  house  with 
a  canon  ball  in  it  where  the  british  had  fired  it  in 
the  revolution,  then  we  went  down  to  the  cus- 
184 


**    S       e       q       ii       i        I    " 

turn  house  where  father  wirks  and  father  took  of 
his  coat  and  put  on  a  thin  coat  and  put  on  sum 
cuffs  made  of  pastbord  and  then  he  took  out 
sum  big  books  and  begun  to  wright.  he  give  me 
a  sheet  of  yellow  paper  and  a  pensil  and  told  me 
i  cood  draw  sum  pictures,  when  he  come  in  one 
man  holered  hullo  George  what  are  you  going  to 
do  with  the  boy,  drownd  him,  and  father  he  said 
no  but  i  wood  if  he  dident  amount  to  more  then 
you  have,  and  then  that  man  he  shet  up  and  a 
nother  man  he  holered  George  have  you  saved 
enny  more  peeple  and  father  he  said  no  i  had 
a  chanse  to  but  his  name  was  Mudge  and  i  let 
them  hang  him,  and  then  that  man  he  shet  up. 
his  name  was  Mudge  two.  bimeby  a  man  come 
in  with  specks  and  side  wiskers  and  sum  papers 
and  a  squint  eye,  and  he  come  up  to  fathers 
desk  and  father  took  the  papers  and  wile  he  was 
wrighting  i  drawd  the  man  with  his  specks  and 
his  old   side  wiskers  and  his  squint  eye.    when 

185 


"    S       e        q        n        i        1    " 

father  had  fixed  his  papers  the  man  said  is  that 
your  boy  mister  Shute  and  he  said  yes  and  the 
man  said  can  he  draw  and  father  said  yes  and  he 
took  the  paper  before  i  cood  grab  it  and  give  it  to 
the  man  and  the  man  looked  at  it  and  begun  to 
look  mad  and  father  said  what  is  it  and  he  showed 
it  to  father  and  then  tore  it  up  and  went  of  mad. 
and  father  timed  red  and  asked  me  if  i  dident 
know  more  then  that,  then  father  he  picked  up 
all  the  peaces  and  we  paisted  them  together  and 
he  showed  it  to  the  men  and  they  all  lafFed  and 
said  i  was  a  buster,  bimeby  a  man  come  in  and 
said  that  the  naval  oncer  wanted  to  see  father 
and  father  took  the  picture  and  went  in.  bimeby 
he  came  back  and  said  the  naval  oficer  jawed  him 
and  then  he  looked  at  the  picture  and  lafFed  and 
said  he  wanted  the  picture  and  he  took  it  and 
told  father  he  had  better  shet  that  boy  up.  then 
it  was  dinner  time  and  we  went  out  and  et  din- 
ner at  a  resterrant.  i  had  meat  and  bread  and 
186 


"    S        e        «        u        i        1 


99 


coffy.  after  dinner  we  went  back  to  the  offise  and 
a  man  come  in  and  asked  who  was  mister  Shute 
and  father  said  he  was  and  the  man  said  are  you 
the  man  whitch  put  a  old  man  on  the  trane  at  the 
depo  and  father  said  yes  and  i  thougt  the  man 
wood  give  father  a  hundred  dolars  or  a  gold 
wach  and  father  looked  as  if  he  thougt  the  man 
wood  say  noble  man  you  have  saved  my  fathers 
life,  but  the  man  looked  mad  and  said  well  sir 
you  did  a  prety  smart  thing  to  throw  a  helpless 
old  man  on  to  the  rong  trane  and  send  him  of  1 00 
miles  away  from  home  and  scart  all  his  peeple 
most  to  deth  becaus  they  thougt  he  was  merdered 
and  cost  him  3  dolars  to  telegraf  and  stay  all  nite 
and  if  you  dont  know  more  then  that  you  had 
beter  soke  your  head,  father  he  said  what  was  the 
old  fool  trying  to  get  on  the  trane  for  if  he  did- 
ent  want  to  go  on  it,  and  the  man  he  said  he  was 
trying  to  get  of  the  trane  and  you  woodent  let 
him  and  the  man  holered  so  loud  that  evrybody 

187 


"    S        e        q        11        i        1    »• 

cood  hear  him  and  shook  his  fist  and  went  of 
swaring  feerfal.  then  Mr.  Pope  he  said  o  what  a 
fall  was  there  my  countrymen  just  like  what  was 
in  the  fourth  reader  and  Mr.  Davis  he  said  im- 
mortal seezer  ded  and  timed  to  clay,  that  is  in 
the  fourth  reader  two.  then  all  the  men  laffed 
and  said  the  treat  is  on  you  George  and  father  he 
laffed  two  and  said  he  wood  be  cussed,  and  he 
said  that  is  what  a  man  got  by  not  tending  to  his 
own  bizness.  tonites  paper  had  a  peace  in  it 
about  father  and  said  the  old  man  whitch  father 
put  on  the  rong  trane  was  going  to  be  marrid  and 
his  girl  got  mad  becaus  he  dident  come  and  mar- 
rid  another  man  whitch  was  there  and  the  old 
man  was  going  to  sew  father  for  braking  up  the 
mach.  father  said  he  bet  Ben  Ridwill  and  Jaky 
Howe  rote  it  for  the  paper  and  he  wood  fix  them. 
Sept.  3.  brite  and  fair.  Sunday  today  but  father 
dident  go  to  walk,  he  was  prety  cross  two. 
Beany  got  sent  out  of  Sunday  school  for  raising 
188 


"    S       e       q       11 


^^ 


time,  after  he  went  out  he  clim  up  to  the  win- 
dow and  made  up  feerful  faces  at  us.  mister  Erl 
the  suprintendunt  was  jest  going  to  make  a 
prayer  and  see  us  laffin  and  see  Beany  before 
Beany  cood  gump  down  and  he  grabed  his  cane 
and  run  out  of  the  Sunday  school  and  chased 
Beany  down  to  Gim  Elersons.  Beany  cant  come 
agen.    i  wish  i  was  Beany. 

Sept.  4.    clowdy  but  no  rane.    school  begins  to- 
day, gosh. 


189 


THE    MOST    DELIGHTFUL    BOOK 

OF   HUMOR   OF   THIS    GENERATION 

In  Its  Ninth  Edition 

The  Real  Diary 
of  a  Real  Soy 

By  JUDGE   HENRY  A.   SHUTE 


THE  REAL  DIARY  OF  A  REAL  BOY  is 
a  most  delicious  revelation  of  original  sin 
and  equally  original  spelling.  The  author 
shows  the  boy  of  flesh  and  blood,  who  is  so  unlike 
the  youth  of  literary  tradition  that  the  reader  takes 
him  to  his  heart  at  once,  although  almost  every 
page  of  the  "  diry  "  is  a  record  of  startling  and  in- 
genious mischief.  Perhaps  we  love  him  for  this 
very  reason.  Deep  down  in  the  nature  of  the  most 
prim  and  censorious  of  us  is  a  sneaking  fondness  for 
just  such  a  tousled-headed  little  scalawag  as  this 
real  boy. 

"  Its  merriment  is  so  infectious  that  one  cannot 
fancy  a  person  able  to  resist  the  spirit  of  this 
book."  — N.  Y.  Journal. 

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